


Take Me Home

by DiamondWings



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, IN SPACE, It will have happy middles too, M/M, Minor Character Death, Sci-Fi AU, Violence, it'll take a while until everyone is here, more tags to be added when they become relevant, powers au, skz are pirates, take the graphic depictions of violence and minor character death tags seriously guys, this might get dark at times, with special powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2019-09-15 07:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 143,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16929033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondWings/pseuds/DiamondWings
Summary: Chan witnesses how his home planet is destroyed by Alliance forces, wiping out his entire species. Fuelled by rage, he swears revenge on the Alliance and sets out to destroy the system that rules all of the known universe. But what can one single individual do against an all-controlling system, even if they do have somewhat incredible powers to aid them? Not much. Nine individuals combined, each with their own set of special abilities and a shared vendetta, however...(alternatively:Chan might not have a planet anymore, but he sure has a world of problems)





	1. Prologue - Homeless

 Chan was late. He was running late for the Belize festival, and he was absolutely sure his mother would have his head for it. He might, just might, get away relatively unscathed if he at least made it home and got changed into the festive robes before the processions started…

Checking the ETA on his dashboard, he flinched, though. He was still a good universal light year out, and with that one failing stabilizer on his left wing, he didn’t dare go faster than 330 times lightspeed for long. He would definitely miss the start of the procession, and his mother would most definitely not be amused. He had promised her he wouldn’t miss it! And now…

In his defense, there had been no way for him to be able to predict that the cargo inspection on Daroe would take so damn long; not that that would appease his mother, who didn’t want him flying around in outer space, at all, anyway. And him being late to the processions on the most important holiday of his home planet would not endear his career-choice to her. He could already hear her going on about how he was never at home anymore, how his life was revolving too much around machines, how he was losing connection to _life_ , and how that would affect his powers.

In a way, she had a few points. And it wasn’t like he didn’t miss being surrounded by nature sometimes; ok, quite often, actually. After a few days on board of the ship alone, without touching down anywhere, he did get tired of the recycled oxygen, and he missed the taste of his home planet’s rich and fragrant air, of the scent of waterfalls and blooming trees… But on the other hand, after only a few days on Beire, he felt trapped on the small planet, too. He had yet to find his balance, but he did feel happiest on his ship, crisscrossing the known universe for days on end.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a notification flashing in the top left corner of the command desk, indicating an incoming call. With a swipe of his hand, he pulled the notification to the center of the desk, recognizing his mother’s caller ID. He bit his lip, only hesitating a second before answering the call.

“Hey mum, I’m on my way, I promise, I’ll be there in no time!”

Static answered him for a moment, and he frowned. Static? Why?!

“D-don’t come, Chan!” His mother’s voice sounded, slightly breathless, and confusion painted Chan’s face. He couldn’t have heard that right!

“What? Mum, I said I’m on my way! I’m sorry, am I late already? I thought I still had a few hours…”

“No! Channie, baby, wherever you are, stay there! Don’t come here! Stay out! Stay away!”

Chan gaped at his command desk, at his mother’s caller ID, listening to the static filling the line again.

“Mum-…” He started, but was interrupted, the static getting worse, what sounded like loud cracks sounding in the background, and were those… screams?

“Channie, I love you, you know that, right? I’ll always love you, ok?” His mother’s voice sounded distorted through the static, and Chan’s stomach twisted into a knot. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong! He could feel it, could hear it in his mother’s voice even though it was distorted by static, and it chilled his bones.

“I know, mum, I know. I love you, too. So much. But, mum, what’s going on? Why is the connection so bad?”

More than ever before he wished his mother wasn’t so against the modern links that would have allowed him to see her holographic projection while talking to her. It was a miracle the frequencies her antiquated link used were still working.

“I-… Channie, just promise me you’ll stay away. Stay safe, baby. Don’t come looking for me, or anyone, ok?”

Chan thought he could hear tears in his mother’s voice, and that was definitely freaking him out. His mother didn’t cry, ever! She was the solid rock in his life, unwavering, collected, always in control.

“Mum, what’s going on? Are those screams, mum? Are you ok?!”

Instead of her answer, a loud growling sound overpowered the static, before Chan could hear his mother again just shortly, just one last time.

“I love you, Channie.”

The call disconnected, the little window displaying his mom’s caller ID closing itself, and Chan gasped.

“No! No, no, NO!”

His hands flew over the command desk, dialing into the satellite network around his home planet, trying to find out what was going on. Except, the network wasn’t working. Ninety-five percent of the satellites were offline, number increasing.

Chan shook his head, giving up on real time information in favour of finding out what had led to this situation. All he could find was satellites going offline, one by one, everywhere around the planet, in quick succession, though. Whenever he thought he’d found something, it disappeared just as quickly, leaving him in the dark. It was as if someone was trying to wipe out any and all information about his planet, keeping anyone from finding anything relating to it…

His blood froze in his veins.

He’d heard about this happening before, once, in passing. He hadn’t believed it, had thought it was a story to scare children or something, no one would just wipe out an entire _planet_ , right…?

No, it couldn’t be! It couldn’t, it couldn’t, not his planet, not Beire, Beire was peaceful, Beire would never get involved in anything that would warrant something like that, they weren’t a threat to anyone-

Chan wasn’t thinking straight anymore, panic spreading well and truly through his system, taking control of him. He only just so thought about veiling his ship before launching into hyper-speed, the failing stabilizer be damned. He was reaching into the ship with his powers, directing the energy-flow in ways only his powers could, giving his ship that extra boost it needed to complete the last bit of the journey in break-neck speed and bringing him home in a record time that not even most -if not all- Alliance ships could manage.

It felt like forever and no time at all before he had to use everything he could to brake his ship down, and he was sure a few pieces and mechanisms broke, but he couldn’t care less. He’d almost hurled himself into the swirling back turbines of a massive Alliance fighter mothership, only just barely escaping.

Before he could catch his breath, he wished he had actually smashed into the turbines and been ground to pieces along with his small ship.

In front of him, where his beautiful, shimmering green, blue, purple and turquoise planet should have been… It wasn’t. A planet was there, alright. But it looked in no way like what his planet should look like.

Where the blue and turquoise of the oceans should have been, grey and black and white clouds billowed, while the green and purple of the land masses was reduced to black and red, the red increasing, mixing with oranges and yellows as he looked on, the surface of the planet quite literally boiling, cracking, overturning and consuming itself. The oceans evaporated as the crust of the planet melted underneath, and it was almost a blessing as the white clouds of steam filled the atmosphere and hid the boiling land masses from view.

That was, until the magnetic field broke, and the atmosphere collapsed. In no time at all, the clouds were ripped into the vacuum of space, all traces of water gone from the planet that was now merely a swirling orb of reds and oranges.

Chan couldn’t move, staring down at his planet with silent tears streaming down his face.

Beire was gone.

His home was gone.

His mother, his family, his friends… Everyone and everything that mattered in his life. Gone. Gone in a sea of red hot molten lava.

The thought sent him to his knees, not enough strength left in his body to hold him up. His hands gripped the edge of the command desk in front of him, his knuckles protruding. He wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t. Wanted to tear his eyes off the scene in front of him, but he was incapable.

Only when the colossal ship next to him started moving, backing away, did Chan snap out of it. It was only then that he realized it wasn’t the only ship it’s size that hovered around the planet.

For a second, hope bloomed in him, hope that maybe they had been there to take in anyone who’d managed to flee from the dying planet, but that hope died as soon as it came to be as a blasted apart piece of the hull of a distinctly Beiran ship slowly floated past Chan’s windshield.

No, the Alliance ships weren’t there to save anyone from his planet. They were here to make sure no one escaped. They were here to destroy his planet in the first place. His beautiful, pacifist planet, inhabited by the possibly kindest creatures in all the known universe, whose only fault seemed to be their ability to control the flow of energy…

It had long since coursed the rumor that the Alliance wasn’t too fond of species that had any mental powers, Chan knew that. It was also widely known that measures to ensure that Beire didn’t become a threat to the Alliance had been taken, though what exactly they consisted of, no one was entirely sure. The only consensus was that their crown prince was somehow involved.

None of that mattered now, though. Not anymore.

In barely a few hours, Chan had possibly become the last survivor of his species. It wasn’t unlikely, since Beirans weren’t known to leave their planet much as a rule, and especially not during the festivities of Belize; it had been pure luck that Chan hadn’t been on the planet himself, and he was by far the least home-loyal of the Beirans.

Why, just why did it have to happen during Belize, though?!

But of course, it made sense; what better time to wipe out a species when all of its members were in one place?

Chan wanted to scream, the agony he’d thought couldn’t grow bigger upon seeing his planet in ruins upon arriving steadily increasing over time, without showing any signs of dying down anytime soon as the magnitude of what he’d just witnessed became clear to him.

He wished it wouldn’t, either, though. He wished, that if he had to feel this pain, that it would rip him apart, that it wouldn’t leave him to suffer through it much longer.

His wish went unheard, though.

And so he screamed, hoping to ease the pain through that.

He screamed until his throat hurt, until he had no tears left to cry, until his voice was gone, and he could scream no more. The agony remained, though, the pain in his heart and soul now accompanied by the pain of his sore throat and a vicious migraine that made him want to fly his ship into the boiling surface of what was once Beire.

His powers didn’t listen to him, though, nor did his hands or any part of himself, and he collapsed for good where he was kneeling.

When he woke up again, hours, but maybe even days later, the surface of Beire had solidified again. There was nothing but black wasteland left behind.

Chan laughed, manically, as he looked down at what was left of the once paradisiac planet. Nothing but a cold, black rock. A perfect mirror of what was left of the heart that miraculously still beat in his chest.

Wiping away one last tear, Chan tapped into his command desk and turned the ship around, coldness not just in his heart but encompassing his whole being, his soul, his rationale.

There was nothing left for him here. And he wouldn’t rest until there was nothing left of those responsible for it.

 


	2. The Wrong Target

Chan watched on coldly, unfeeling, as the ship in front of him burst apart in a ball of fire, pieces of it flying off in every direction. A few of the debris hit his own ship, too, but he didn’t pay it any mind; if they tore holes into the hull of his own ship and he met the same fate as the crew of the other ship, who cared? There was no one left who’d care.

That thought, ever present, was what kept every bit of remorse for what he was doing out of his conscience. There might have been a time when he would have felt bad for the people on that ship that he’d senselessly blown apart simply because they had refused to back down, but that time had ended with the day his planet, along with his heart and conscience, had been destroyed. 

Without another thought for the small Alliance messenger ship and its crew, Chan selected the next set of coordinates on the command desk in front of him, heading for the next Alliance ship he’d managed to trace.

It might have been weeks, or maybe even months now since this had become his life: going after ship after ship, forcing them to surrender to him with brutal force. If they did surrender, he pillaged them, taking what supplies they had on board for himself and raiding their fuel tanks before blowing their engines and control panels up and leaving them adrift in the empty vastness of space. 

If they didn’t surrender… They ended up like that last ship, blown to pieces.

Slowly but surely, a bit of a reputation was preceding him, and less of the small ships he went after dared to stand up to him, most surrendering quickly. Despite being generally unfeeling, he preferred it that way, since it saved him a lot of trouble. It also helped him keep his own supplies stocked, saving him the need to touch down on some planet to replenish them. 

Chan doubted he’d be granted touch-down rights on any planet, anyway. He hadn’t tried to find out yet since he’d started his quest for vengeance, the mere thought of setting foot on another planet making his skin crawl. He knew he should probably consider it sometime, find a small enough planet where the Alliance’s influence wasn’t as strong, to at least get the essential parts of his ship that had been damaged in recent fights fixed, but as long as it was avoidable, he was going to avoid it. And, well, if he ended up adrift with an unmaneuverable ship, in just the same way he’d left a considerable amount of small Alliance ships lately, then he wouldn’t care, either. 

Somewhere along the way to catch up to the Alliance ship he’d set his autopilot to follow, he fell asleep in his chair. He’d never been known to sleep much anyway, but ever since his quest for vengeance began, he slept even less. In fact, the brief moments of unconsciousness he fell into would probably fall more into the category of fainting from exhaustion. 

He was startled awake sometime later by warning sounds announcing he was closing in on the tailed ship. In no time at all, he was awake and functioning, frowning at the discrepancy between the ship model he was seeing through his windshield and the model his command desk was showing. 

The ship in front of him wasn’t an Alliance ship, he was pretty sure of it. Studying the information he had on his desk about the ship, it became pretty obvious how badly the identification numbers and flight signature were forged. It was embarrassing how he’d fallen for it so easily.

He was about to turn away, deciding to leave the outlaws -for he was sure that must be what that ship’s crew were if they flew with forged Alliance ID’s- alone, since they were of no interest for him, when he was spotted by them. He made a mental note that his veiling must have failed if they were able to spot him, and that he needed to remember not to rely on it during future attacks. 

His thought process was interrupted when the other ship fired at him. 

“That’s not very nice of you... I was going to leave you alone, bastards…” Chan muttered, flashing the signal indicating his retreat at the other ship, but they ignored it. 

Instead, they honed in on him, moving to attack earnestly. Chan was not having that, though. If they weren’t going to let him retreat, he had something in store for them! He didn’t fire wildly, like the other ship was doing, but instead aimed specifically at the wing stabilizers and exhaust vents, using his powers to make sure his blasts found their target. He’d long since found out those were usually the weakest spots on most ships, and true to that, after only a few moments the right wing stabilizer from the other ship blew up, tearing half the wing with it and probably damaging at least one of the engines on that side. Two more shots, and another explosion, further down in the ship, tore through it, the hostile fire ceasing immediately after. 

Chan grunted, satisfied. He must have caught the ventral exhaust vent, then. His jaw set, he signaled the order to surrender at the other ship, and after only a few moments, the answer came in form of the slowly timed flashing white communication light, signalling the requested surrender. 

Chan’s satisfaction grew.

He didn’t need to raid that ship, he still had plenty of supplies to make it another week or two, but that crew had pissed him off now. He’d go over to at least have a look at what they had, and to figure out what their business was to be flying under forged Alliance IDs. 

With practiced ease, he locked the other ship with a tractor beam and pulled it in, close enough to dock and allow him to board it. He wasn’t dumb enough to do so without anticipating a number of attacks coming his way, though, and he was right. As soon as he set foot out of the connecting bridge between the ships, a number of blasts were fired his way. They would have torn him apart if he hadn’t been expecting them.

His powers sparked to life, though, and he caught the blasts mid-air, not just deflecting them but redirecting them altogether. They made it too easy for him, truly, using bundled plasma ammunition. With what energy that plasma alone held, a single one of them would have been enough for him to be able to pulverize the entire ship with just a little tweaking. 

That wasn’t his goal, though; and so, he merely tapped into the kinetic power in the movement of the blasts, redirecting them back to their owners. He didn’t kill them, but the traces the blasts left behind would surely leave some nasty scars.

“Seriously, you have no manners… Is this a way to treat a guest?!” he muttered, kicking one of the whimpering creatures out of the way as he walked further into the ship once he’d taken this wave of attackers out. The pained cry that drew out of them didn’t faze him. Nor did those of the rest of the crew as he took them down, one by one, as they fired at him on his way through the ship. If anything, they pissed him off more.

His mood didn’t improve when he reached the cargo area, finding not material goods but… cages. Two of them were occupied by distinctly humanoid-looking creatures, both chained down to the back walls of their respective cages.

“Slavers, huh…” Chan’s eyes narrowed, and if he stepped on the recently blasted shoulder of the last of the slaver’s crew members that had taken a shot at him on purpose as he passed them on his way to the cages, that was no-ones business. His mood was well and truly sour now. For the first time since his life had changed so radically, his conscience spoke up as he saw the slaves. What if he’d blown this ship up, with these two innocents on board? How many innocent ones had been on the other ships he’d actually blown up? 

He stomped down hard on those thoughts and feelings, actively ignoring them and forcing himself to focus on what he could do  _ now _ , rather than what could have possibly happened in the past. And what he could do now was to get these two out of the cages, off this wretched ship, and somewhere that would be safe for them.

He approached the first cage, delivering a hefty kick to the bottom of the door. Of course, the door wouldn’t give just from that, but that was never his intention anyway. Instead, he used the energy of the kick to redirect it to the bolts holding the hinges together, and just like that the door was knocked out of its frame. Chan huffed at how easy that had been. And it was just as easy on the second door. 

Breaking the chains the slaves were held down by wasn’t quite as easy, though. He actually didn’t want to hurt the two young males in the process of freeing them, so he had to be gentler. And still, it wasn’t much of a challenge and soon they were standing up, unrestrained.

“You’re human.” Chan remarked, eyeing the smaller one up and down after helping him to his feet.

“And you’re not.” The taller of the two slaves, with dark but vibrant blue hair, answered in the other’s stead, standing behind Chan.

“Whatever gave that away… And what are you? Human and…?”

“None of your business.”

“Jisung…!” The smaller one hissed, giving the blue haired one a warning look, and he actually looked a bit sheepish. Chan wasn’t offended, though. He was right, it was none of his business.

“Fair enough. Want to stay here, or come with me? I could use a hand…”

The smaller moved to follow him, but the other gave him a suspicious look.

“A hand with what?”

Chan stopped mid-turn to look back at the two.

“I’m going to see what this ship has that could be of use for me, drain their fuel tanks, and then blast their engines to pieces. Feel free to stay, but if you want to give me a hand I can set you down on whatever planet tickles your fancy afterwards.”

“You plan on setting us free?”

Chan shrugged.

“Unless you want to stay here…” 

He didn’t wait to see what their reaction was, instead setting out to see what would be worth taking from the ship. He liked the blasters, actually, the plasma ammunition made for a nice source of energy to manipulate at his will…

He crossed paths with the blue haired half-human a few times as he roamed the ship -Jisung, the smaller human had called him- but he never saw the said smaller one again. That was, until he went to go back to his ship, and found both slaves waiting by the docking bridge. Only Jisung had gathered any goods from the ship, mainly tools as far as he could tell, and something that looked like spare parts for… something. He didn’t really care, if that was what the blue haired half-human found valuable, then he could keep it. He had what he wanted for himself. He only wondered why the smaller guy didn’t seem to have anything.

His wonder must have shown on his face, since the human stepped forward holding out what looked like a flash-drive to him.

“I hacked the ship. As soon as you dock off, it’ll carry the signature ID of the wanted criminals it belongs to. I also messed up their communications system; they won’t get a call for help out any time soon. And this, this is the coding for the credits on all their accounts, as well as the access information to two vaults, one on Parchal and one on Sanfin, that hold valuables of a total of just over two million credits.”

Chan’s eyes widened.

“Wow…” He breathed, stunned. That was a lot of money. He didn’t need it, though. “You… you can keep that… You might need it, more than I do. Just… please don’t hack my ship while you’re on it, ok?”

The human blinked at him, confused as it took him a moment to understand the meaning of Chan’s words.

“W-wha… Uh… Thanks? B-but I don’t have an account…”

Chan hummed.

“I’m sure you can set one up for yourself later. Now… Uh, I didn’t see anyone, but do you know if this ship has any more poor sods loaded aside from you two?”

Both the human and Jisung shook their heads.

“It’s just us…” Jisung answered, but Chan’s attention was caught by the pained expression on the human’s face before he could hide it. He couldn’t help but wonder what had brought that pain about, hating to see it contorting the other’s face. He had thought his heart incapable of feeling something like compassion anymore, but he wouldn’t know what else to call the feeling bubbling inside him that made him want to hug the other, take all of his pain away and protect him from any further pain. He shook himself out of those thoughts and decided not to pry, though, the voice in his head telling him it was none of his business anyway sounding suspiciously like Jisung.

“Alright then. Let’s go.” He led the way over onto his own ship, with the human and Jisung following him closely. They probably feared he might leave them behind if they straggled; not that he would, not after offering to take them out of there, and not with the need to protect them still burning fresh and foreign after so long in his chest. Still, he wouldn’t complain about getting out of there faster. 

As soon as he reached the bridge of his own ship, he disconnected the ships and pulled away far enough to turn and fire at the other. The wing engines went up in flames, rendering the ship unmaneuverable, and he didn’t even debate before shooting the main propulsor, too, ensuring the slavers would well and truly be stranded here; at least until Alliance forces picked up their signal and locked them up.

With that done, he set course for a lonely dwarf planet whose elliptical trajectory was bringing it far out of the center of the planetary system he was currently in, hoping to actually avoid any encounters with other ships, and especially Alliance ships, this time. At least until he had the veiling systems on his ship fixed, and possibly a few other parts that were in need of some attention. 

When he turned around and away from his desk, he found the two rescuees awkwardly standing behind him in the entrance to the bridge. He waved them over, wanting them to feel comfortable.

“Come on in, have a seat. You don’t need to stand there. I, uh-... We haven’t even really introduced ourselves to each other, have we... You can call me Chan. Just Chan.”

The two nodded, some of the awkwardness and tension slipping out of them as they came over to take two of the seats close to where Chan was sitting on the main control desk. The blue-haired spoke first.

“I’m Jisung. And you guessed right, earlier, that I’m half human. The other half is Atalaian.”

Chan nodded, recognizing the species. Atalaians were very similar to humans, the only things that distinguished them from humans being that they were generally taller, naturally grew hair in bright colours and almost exclusively had bright turquoise coloured irises. They had no special powers, but were often blessed with quite steady hands that gave them a natural talent to work in areas that required a lot of hands-on attention to detail. Like humans, most of them were enslaved, and if not enslaved, trapped on mining or cultivation planets as cheap workforce. It wasn’t rare that the species mixed. 

The human cleared his throat quietly before speaking, too, catching Chan’s attention.

“My name’s Changbin. I’m human. If you don’t mind the question… What species are you?”

“Beiran.” It was out before he could think about his answer. He’d never before thought about why he should hide his origins, never had a reason to. He still wasn’t sure if he should hide it now. But saying it out loud, the name of his species, his planet, that felt foreign now.

In response to his answer, Jisung and Changbin both flinched.

“Wow… I thought…”

“We heard…”

Both seemed unsure how to continue, and Chan took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he answered their unspoken questions.

“That we’d been extinguished?” He opened his eyes, finding in Jisung and Changbin’s expressions that that had indeed been what they’d been wondering about.

“It is true. If any others survived… There must be very, very few. The Alliance destroyed-... destroyed Beire, on the most important day of our year. Beirans in general are-... were never big on travelling, but everyone who did would have made sure to be home for the Belize festival… I was on my way home, too. I was just late…”

He only noticed that he’d started crying when he felt something wet drip onto his hand. 

Quickly, he turned away from the other two, wiping at his face. He wasn’t embarrassed of his tears, but that didn’t mean that he needed two complete strangers to see them. He could have expected that this would be what would happen, though, considering they were the first people he actually talked to ever since his last call with his mother; and the first people who he mentioned what happened to.

“Shit… I’m sorry for asking, man…”

Chan shook his head, tears back under control, and turned to face them again.

“It’s ok. Anyway, uh…  Where would you like me to drop you off?”

Changbin and Jisung looked at each other, sheepish and perhaps a little uncomfortable.

“Actually, about that…” Jisung started, then looked at Changbin for help.

“It’s… We’re branded and tagged. Traceable. And I… I can’t really go anywhere…” Changbin explained, then pulled the sleeve of the battered shirt he was wearing up to reveal a number tattooed onto his wrist.

“You’re a convict? How come you were on a slaver-ship?”

Changbin shrugged.

“Side business of the prison, I guess. Sell a few inmates no one is going to miss and make some extra credits…”

Chan grimaced, nodding in understanding.

“What were you convicted for?”

That brought an almost proud smile onto Changbin’s face.

“I hacked the Supreme Commander’s official accounts and sent his nudes out to a bunch of other high ranking politicians. Then, I hacked their accounts and sent answers complimenting his dicks back. Yes, plural.”

Chan stared at him, incredulous, jaw dropped. 

“Why would you do that?!”

Changbin shrugged.

“I was bored?”

Chan couldn’t help but laugh. It was the first genuine laugh in a long time. 

“I like you already! What about you, Jisung?”

Jisung was still chuckling over Changbin’s story, one he had clearly known already but still found amusing.

“I didn’t do anything, actually. I was just born into slavery. Used to work in a landing bay, in a repair hangar, but Boss needed more money at once than we could make fixing ships, so they sold me off to a hangar on Daroe that paid a good price. The slavers were just supposed to deliver me over there.”

Chan nodded pensively.

“They’ll be looking for you when you don’t get delivered on time… And you, Changbin, once someone notices the ink on your wrist. We need to get rid of your tags.”

“They’re implanted…”

“I figured. Lucky for you, I happen to be a quite good healer, even for Beiran standards.”

Jisung didn’t look convinced.

“They’re implanted  _ in our spinal cords _ . Precisely to make sure they can’t just get taken out...”

Chan still wasn’t fazed by that information.

“Do you have a general idea what my powers entail?”

Jisung frowned as he thought about it.

“Something with energy… Telekinesis or something?”

Chan shook his head.

“Kind of. It’s energy manipulation. I can manipulate and twist all kinds of energy to do what I need them to. It’s not limited to kinetic energy. Your spinal cords are alight with electric energy running along your nerves. It won’t pose a problem whatsoever to tweak that into kinetic energy to get out the tags from in between your nerves without damaging a single cell in your body.”

Jisung’s sceptical look didn’t change, but Changbin was more trusting.

“Start with me. Please? I don’t even care if you do end up destroying something. Just get it out.”

Jisung gaped at Changbin as the human came forth confidently.

“Bin…!” He spoke up in a warning tone, but Changbin had made up his mind.

“If someone sees my number and gives it to Alliance forces, it’ll be them looking for me. If they see I’m not in the jail I am supposed to be in, they’ll assume me a runaway, chase me down, and throw me in one with higher security where the chances of me ever getting out will be next to none. I don’t want to go back to jail, no matter what.”

It was a solid logic that neither Chan nor Jisung could argue with. Chan didn’t even want to. 

“Ok then. You should come down to the cabins with me; I’ll need you to hold still while I do this, and that’ll be easier if you’re lying down. It’s going to take a while, too.”

Changbin didn’t protest, nodding instead, ready to do whatever necessary.

“Feel free to explore the ship, if you get bored while we’re down in the cabins. Just don’t touch my control desk, I need to get this ship to the outpost on  Gaifar as soon as possible to get some urgent things fixed.” Chan invited Jisung, but not without a warning. Jisung nodded in understanding, staying behind as Chan stepped off the bridge to lead Changbin down to the deck with the cabins. 

There were only two, since it was a small ship, and Chan led Changbin to the one he hadn’t claimed for himself. Changbin settled down on the cot without a comment, and Chan set to work equally as quiet.

It didn’t take him long to locate the small chip embedded in Changbin’s spinal cord, high up between his third and fourth neck vertebrae. Now, moving it out from in between the bundles of nerves, then through the tendons connecting the bones, through the muscles and skin on the back of Changbin’s neck, all without causing the other pain or discomfort, that took a whole lot longer, requiring all of Chan’s focus. 

It took him hours, in the end, but when he was done, Changbin was able to get up, unflinching and moving naturally.

“How are you feeling?” Chan still asked carefully.

“I don’t feel any different… Are you sure you go it out?”

Chan responded by holding out his hand with the chip, small and metallic. Changbin studied it a little closer.

“This is it?” 

“This is it.”

“And what… what do we do with it now?”

“Destroy it.”

“How?”

Chan focused on the electric energy flowing through the nerves in his own hand, redirecting it to the chip in his palm and frying the small high-tech device, melting the circuits to a point there was no way they could be recognized as a tracking and identification chip anymore, never mind provide any useful information. 

“I suppose that works… Ouch, sore!” Changbin flinched, retracting his hand from the back of his neck where he’d been feeling for an orifice the chip must have come out of.

“ I already sealed your skin again. It won’t leave a scar, but it might be a bit tender for a couple of days.” Chan explained, and Changbin nodded in acknowledgement.

“Ok. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

They made their way back to the bridge in silence, and Chan couldn’t help but wonder where Jisung had gone in the meantime. 

All thoughts about Jisung were gone as soon as his eyes fell on his command desk, though, warnings flashing all over the place. His heart nearly stopped as he rushed into his chair, trying to make sense of the warnings. It took him a couple of moments to realize it were warnings about malfunctions on the ship, about connections and components going offline, equipment not being found online, and the likes of that.

“What the hell…!” Chan breathed, feeling panic well up inside him as he pulled a random notification up to check for the details. Had this happened just a day earlier, he would probably have groaned with frustration but otherwise ignored the warnings. Now that he had two other people on board, it was a different story, though. 

To his ever growing frustration, as soon as he’d dragged the notification to the center of the desk, where it should have opened, the red box turned green, flashing for the fraction of a second before disappearing without Chan having been able to read what it said. He frowned, pulling a second one up, just to see the same happen, as well as with a third.

“Try dragging one over here, and hold it there.” Changbin suddenly spoke next to him, peering over his shoulder and pointing at an area in the bottom right corner of the interactive desk. 

Chan’s frown didn’t lessen, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt if he tried out what Changbin was advising him to do, following his advice. The box turned green as he hovered it in the area Changbin had indicated, but it didn’t close right away.

“‘Problem solved; condenser online’? What… How?!”

“Try another one.”

Chan did.

“‘Problem solved; capacitor online’... Why did they go offline in the first place, though…?” Chan didn’t understand.

“Uhm… may I?” Changbin then asked, pointing at the desk, and Chan gave him a sceptic look.

“You’re not going to hack my ship, are you?”

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Of course not… though, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I have a feeling I could do a few things to improve its performance, you know… Make you untraceable, give you believable fake IDs, reprogram your engines to make them more fuel-efficient… Things like that. But no, not now, I was just going to see if I could figure out what happened to make all those pop up.” He nodded at the desk, clearly indicating the red warning boxes.

Chan shook his head, which was reeling a bit from the possibilities Changbin was offering so nonchalantly, before moving out of the way since he was clearly not going to figure the origin of the warnings out on his own.

“Uh… ok…” He still hovered close to keep an eye on Changbin as he familiarized himself with the command desk. It only took a few minutes before Changbin had pulled up a holographic model of the ship, the areas where warnings had come from highlighted in red. Those which Chan had already opened the warning from shone in green, but Changbin seemed to ignore the colour differences, instead zooming in on one particular area of the ship, then further into the details.

“The stabilizer-pump…?” Changbin mumbled to himself, questioning, but Chan leaned in to get a closer look at the highlighted area.

“The stabilizer on that side has been acting off for a while now…” Chan pointed out, and Changbin hummed in understanding.

“What about that steering element on the front of the right rear-wing, near the end?” Changbin then asked, and Chan had to admit that that, too, was broken. As was the second hydraulic oil pipe for the water-landings equipment, and one of the brake flaps for hard atmospherical maneuvers.

“I think I know what’s going on… Yeah, I know what is happening.” Changbin eventually proclaimed, satisfied.

“What? What is it?” Chan asked, impatient, but Changbin shook his head, zooming in on the area the stabilizer pump was in.

“See that here? Wait just a few more minutes.”

“What is happening?” Chan asked again, even more impatient, but Changbin just shook his head, indicating him to wait. After a minute or two -which stretched on endlessly for Chan- a small notification sign popped up next to the pump. Changbin wasted no time and opened the notification, a simple ‘Problem solved: Pressure element online’.

“W-what? I haven’t been able to get that thing to work in months!”

Changbin nodded sagely, zooming in on another area where another element had just popped up in red.

“You may not have… Jisung, however, can fix pretty much everything on every kind of ship in practically no time. It’s why he could be sold for such a high price. There are few people who know their way around ships as well as Jisung.”

Chan’s jaw dropped.

“Jisung has been the reason for all there warnings going off?!”

Changbin nodded.

“Yeah. He’s been fixing the damaged elements of your ship as he goes. The veiling is up and running again, too, by the way.”

Chan couldn’t believe it. But he was sure he would see the truth soon enough with his own two eyes. He moved to turn away, walking to the entrance of the bridge, when Changbin’s voice stopped him.

“Where are you going?”

“To call Jisung up here.”

Changbin cleared his throat.

“He’s in a hardly accessible area right now, in those wings… Why don’t you just call him over the intercom?”

Chan blinked owlishly at Changbin, who bit his lip and tapped away on the command desk in front of him, pulling up another holographic model of the ship.

“Here, you see… You can either speak over the comms all over the ship, or specific areas. If you choose this command down here, and hold down on the area you want to be heard in, you’ll only be heard there. Like, the maintenance shaft in the left wing, select that, and once you’re ready, tap the mic on and talk.”

Chan stared in awe at what Changbin was showing him.

“I… didn’t know this ship had this feature…”

Changbin looked as if he was trying (and failing) to hide his incredulity, prompting Chan to try and defend himself.

“In my defense, I’ve only ever flown alone, so I didn’t need to know this before!”

Changbin finally managed to reign in his facial expressions, nodding understandingly before getting up and vacating the seat for Chan.

“Fair point. Want to call Jisung up through the comm now?”

Chan nodded, kicking himself into action and sliding into his chair again to repeat the actions Changbin had just shown him.

“Jisung? Please come up to the bridge when possible.”

Chan looked up at Changbin, who gave him an approving look. At that, Chan found himself shaking his head; why was that what he had actually been looking for, he was the owner and captain of this ship!

He startled slightly when the communications channel opened in front of him, and Jisung’s voice answered him.

“Sure thing. Immediately, or can I have a minute to, uh... To finish this here up real quick? Won’t be long, I promise!”

Chan didn’t know what ‘this here’ was, but he figured it would probably be for the best if he let Jisung finish whatever he was doing.

“I suppose we have a minute to spare… Just come up when you’re done.”

The comm came back to life again.

“Aye, captain. I’m almost done, be right there.”

Chan stared at the little window on his desk that signalled the connection was established with a mixture of a multitude of feelings. It was somewhat overwhelming, after so long of feeling nothing but a cold need for revenge, to suddenly feel… worry, amusement, gratitude, wonder… All at the same time. It took a while for him to sort through those feelings, figuring out where each came from.

There was the worry that something might go wrong while Jisung fixed whatever it was he was fixing, dooming them all; the amusement over him calling him captain -not that he minded, it was just foreign and not something he’d ever have expected to be called on this ship; the gratitude for Jisung fixing something at all, and for Changbin to non judgmentally introduce him to features of his ship that he never even considered; and the wonder over how strongly he felt those other emotions, and how good it felt, to  _ feel _ again. 

He could feel the onslaught of emotions becoming too much for him, could feel his chest constricting, his throat closing up and tears pricking at his eyes, but he was distracted from all that by the communication channel with Jisung opening again.

“I’m done here, I’m coming up now. Sorry it took longer than I expected, there was a, uh, some kind of mummified charred rodent in the wiring. It must have gnawed on some of the cables before it got fried and caused quite the power leak down here. I think that was what destroyed the control module for the pressure element on the stabilizer pump. Anyway, that’s fixed now. I’m coming up! Gotta go!”

Chan stared in awe at the screen desk, shaking his head.

“I didn’t understand any of what he said, other than I need to invest in pest control, apparently…”

Changbin chuckled behind him, but didn’t comment on Chan’s inability to understand tech language, which Chan appreciated. 

After a little while, the door to the bridge slid open and Jisung rushed in.

“Sorry it took so long, I really tried to be faster!” He panted out, making it obvious that he’d been running, but Chan waved his apology off.

“It’s alright. Thank you for trying to fix my ship, you didn’t have to…”

Jisung shook his head.

“It’s no big deal, I was getting bored waiting around with nothing to do, and since you said we were on the way to Gaifar to get it fixed, I figured I could check what needed to be done and make some headway to save you some money. I’m afraid there are some parts you’ll still have to buy replacements for, there are some things I couldn’t fix. Or…” He trailed off, and Chan gave him a questioning look.

“Or...?”

Jisung shook his head, seemingly to sort his thoughts.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, please, I mean no offense, but… do you usually make it a habit to raid other ships?”

Chan shrugged, more nonchalant about the question than both Changbin and Jisung had expected, judging by the way their shoulders were tensed.

“Yeah… Just Alliance ships, usually, though. The only reason I came onto that slaver ship was because they disguised themselves as an Alliance ship, and once I’d figured out they weren’t and was about to leave them alone, they attacked me. So, that was a different kind of revenge raiding.”

Jisung nodded, transpiring some sort of giddiness.

“Cool. So, if you could choose a ship like this one to raid the next time, we could just get whatever we need to replace from them, instead of having to buy them. As far as I’ve seen there isn’t anything that needs to be fixed on the outside of this ship that can’t be done from the maintenance pod. So, we wouldn’t need to actually touch down on Gaifar.”

Changbin hummed pensively.

“I wouldn’t mind that, actually… Gaifar is a rough turf where it’s just as likely that we’d get what we need as it is that someone else gets us… And I’m no good in personal defense, if it’s not through a computer.”

Jisung agreed with a nod.

“Anything that goes beyond dropping a wrench on someone’s noggin from a hiding spot exceeds my combat skills, too. So no Gaifar wouldn’t make me sad at all, either.”

Chan’s head was spinning and he was starting to feel out of control, which was something he couldn’t say he enjoyed.

“Ok… So, no Gaifar. Just… I know this ship is falling apart at the seams, and as long as it’s just me I couldn’t care less if it actually does, but I’m not about to fly this ship into a confrontation with you two on board when I can’t be sure we’ll come out intact…”

Jisung shook his head.

“It’s not that bad, actually. Of course I haven’t run a full inspection yet -you told me to stay off the computer, after all- so I don’t know everything that needs to be done yet. But I’m positive I can fix most of it and bypass the rest to get this baby running well enough to endure a bunch of fights. I’m sure Changbin can do his share to help, too.”

Changbin nodded enthusiastically, eyeing the command desk in front of Chan with an almost loving expression.

“You’re telling me you’re willing to help me raid an Alliance ship?”

Chan gave him a skeptical look, but Jisung returned it confidently. He turned to find Changbin’s gaze, who met his questioning one serenely after tearing it away from the desk. Chan couldn’t believe it.

“This ship is in no way a fighter ship, any confrontation we’d have with another ship is always going to be a high risk one! Are you aware of that?!”

Changbin shrugged.

“I’ve done far dumber shit to piss off the Alliance...”

“This is different, though… In the end, it’ll always come down to actual life or death scenarios, with no guarantee that it’ll be us walking away with our lives.” Chan warned again, but both Changbin and Jisung shrugged.

“Been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it. Bring it.” Changbin muttered, while Jisung’s expression morphed into a wicked smile.

“As long as I don’t have to lick anyone’s boots anymore, I’m more than ready to kick mine up someone’s ass!”

Chan shook his head, his eyes falling on Jisung’s feet in the process.

“You’re literally barefoot, Jisung…”

“All the more reason for me to join you in this; someone on those Alliance ships is bound to have a pair of spare boots that’ll fit me laying around.”

Chan sighed, deeply, but deep inside him, a teeny tiny spark of warmth bloomed as he shook his head over these two characters he’d found.

“Alright… Let’s get that tag out of you first. And then we’ll see if any of my shoes fit you for the time being."

  
  
  



	3. Purple Badges

“Ok, Jisung, do you have the list with all the parts that we need?” Chan asked for the fifth time that hour.

“I do. Both in my pocket and in my mind. I know exactly what to get and where to get it from.”

Chan nodded in approval, but there was still a worried crease between him eyebrows.

“Good. And Changbin, you are sure you can hack their systems without a physical connection? I can gun them down so we can dock and you get access to their computers if need be…”

Changbin shook his head.

“Viewing distance is all I need. When they first appear as a moving speck of light in the distance, that’ll be enough and I can get in.”

“Ok. And you’re sure our veiling is absolutely intact and up to run right now, Jisung?”

“Absolutely.”

Chan hummed in approval as if he hadn’t asked those same questions countless times over the past 24 hours, and would most likely ask them another hundred times, rubbing at his neck nervously.

“Ok...ok. I’m going to check the rump blasters again and run a test on the plasma missile launchers; I think I forgot to check if the vacuum pressure detector was calibrated.”

Jisung rolled his eyes where Chan couldn’t see it.

“I calibrated it myself when I fixed the wiring on the launchers. And you ran a test just two hours ago, Chan.”

“Oh? I did? Well, good, that gives me time to check if we’re balanced out and rearrange the cargo bay… Just in case we need to do quick escape maneuvers, can’t have unsecured cargo lying around…”

Changbin sighed.

“We’ve rearranged the whole cargo bay just yesterday, as well as the cabins, the bath-stalls, the galley, and every single other division, Chan. There isn’t a single unsecured pencil on this ship, and we are so balanced we could land on the tip of a needle and not tilt.”

Chan flopped into a nearby seat, running his hands through his hair, effectively dishevelling it again for the twenty-fifth time in the past half hour.

“I’m sorry, guys… I just want to make sure we’re not forgetting anything and that we’ll get out of whatever we get into safely. I don’t want to take chances with you two here, it’s bad enough as it is with so many things improvised…”

Jisung hummed, taking the chair next to him and placing a hand on his arm.

“We’ll be fine, Chan. We will. We got this;  _ you _ got this. You haven’t been caught before, with worse odds. We’re super prepared now, there’s nothing that can go wrong. You… you should go and sleep for a while. You’ll be doing most of the work and you’ll feel better knowing your powers are at their strongest when we reach the ship.”

Chan opened his mouth to protest, but caught himself and shut it again with a sigh.

“You’re probably right… You’ll be fine in the meantime?”

Changbin shrugged, nodding at the control desk in front of him.

“Mr Autopilot is doing all the work for the next few hours… So yeah, we’ll be fine. Go take a nap, and stop worrying.”

Chan got up slowly, reluctantly.

“Ok then… But if something comes up-...”

“Just go, Chan!”

“I swear, if you’re not going, I’m going to knock you out myself…!” Jisung groaned, prompting Chan to raise an eyebrow at him, as if to say  _ ‘I’d like to see you try’ _ .

“I will. You don’t know what booby traps I might have installed on this ship in the meantime to drop a wrench or other on your thinker to knock you into the sleep you need. I know it’s only been little over two weeks since we got here, but dang, Chan, have you slept at all in that time?”

Chan sighed.

“Oh, shut up… You nag like my mother…”

Both Jisung and Changbin inhaled sharply, holding their breath at Chan’s mention of his mother. It had taken them no time at all to learn that whenever something was brought up that reminded Chan of Beire, his mother or his people, his mood would go south real fast, ending either in fits of anger or in tears that he did his best to hide from them.

This time, though, Chan seemed to not realize what he had said, as he simply stretched and turned to leave the bridge.

“Wake me before we get into viewing distance of our target… Or if anything else happens.”

“We will. Sleep well!” Jisung called after him, but only after Chan had left and the doors to the bridge closed behind him did the two of them dare to exhale.

“Wow. That was close…” Jisung breathed, sinking back in his chair.

Changbin hummed.

“You think he’s starting to learn how to cope with the grief?”

Jisung shook his head.

“Nah. He’s most likely so exhausted he can’t think straight anymore and didn’t even realize what he was saying… I don’t think he’s slept longer than an hour a time ever since we got here.”

Changbin shook his head, turning back to the desk in front of him. He’d long since claimed the captain’s chair for himself, and with it the control desk; Chan not just didn’t mind getting out of that part of the work on the ship, but actually welcomed it.

“That can’t be healthy for any species…”

Jisung hummed, then stretched to thump Changbin’s thigh with his foot.

“Anything interesting up there?” He nodded at the control desk.

Changbin tapped around lazily at something Jisung didn’t bother to ask the specifics of before answering.

“I went through the logs, and doing the math… did you know Chan confronted fifty seven ships before going after the one we were on?”

Jisung whistled lowly.

“That’s… a lot.”

Changbin nodded.

“That’s a ship on two out of three days ever since Beire was destroyed.”

“Damn, son…”

“Wanna know more stats about those ships he went after?”

“What do you have?”

“I checked the… semi-public database on Alliance ships-”

“Semi-public?”

Changbin grinned lightly.

“Their security on that one is pathetic, I cracked it for the first time when I was five years old. Anyway… out of those fifty seven ships, twenty two were destroyed completely in fight; no survivors.”

Jisung swallowed thickly.

“Twenty three were left unmaneuverable and unable to call for help after looting, but with the crew alive; however, only on one of those the crew was still alive by the time they were found.”

“Serves them right…”

“Out of the remaining ones, on nine, the crew was killed in fight on board, and the last three remain missing or only ‘traces’ of them have been found so far. Traces, as in small parts of debris.”

Jisung inhaled sharply, deeply.

“Wow… Chan doesn’t fuck around, does he now…”

Changbin shook his head.

“He really doesn’t… You’ve seen what he did to the slavers, too. It makes me wonder… It makes me wonder what made him not just spare us but actively help us when he found us on that ship… And why he’s so protective of us now. He doesn’t even really know us, and yet…”

Jisung hummed pensively.

“Maybe it was something about our situation… that endeared us to him…?”

“Maybe…”

“Whatever it was, I sure am glad it turned out the way it did. I mean, we might get blasted to pieces one day, but it’s whatever to me, you know... At least I don’t have anyone yelling at me for shit I didn’t do all the time, I’m not being shoved around and randomly beaten up, I actually get fed, can take showers every day, no one spits on me, and my work and presence is actually appreciated. Best time of my life, if I’m being honest here.”

Changbin nodded wistfully.

“Don’t I know it… I can’t remember the last time someone trusted me around a computer, and damn, I could cry over being allowed on this baby here…! Chan is a gem for letting me use this, truly. And he doesn’t even know it! Sung, we gotta keep him!”

Jisung laughed lightly.

“Yeah, we gotta. We gotta take care of him, too; fuck knows he’s not gonna do it himself. I meant it when I said I’d knock him out if I had to.”

“...don’t tell me you were serious about the booby-traps, too.”

Jisung laughed at Changbin’s sceptical expression, giving him a cheeky wink.

“That’s for me to know and for you to wonder!”

“I’m going to run a diagnosis on this ship right this second…!”

Jisung scoffed.

“You really think your diagnosis is gonna show you the bucket-on-the-half-open-door kind of traps?”

Changbin’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

“Now that’s a scary thought…!”

Jisung cackled, spinning in circles on his chair until he tired himself out. He propped his feet up on the edge of the control desk, millimeters from the limit beyond which Changbin would yell a him.

“I could  _ really _ get used to this…” He sighed, panting slightly.

Changbin hummed in agreement, tapping away at something on the desk again.

“You should get some shut-eye, too, you know… You’ll be doing a lot of running and need to focus later on.”

Jisung thought about it for a moment. A nap sounded great, if he was being honest.

“What about you?” He asked, though.

“I slept a solid eight hours earlier. Besides, I’ll only be sitting in here and not running, fighting or doing any other strenuous activity during the raid. I’ll be fine.”

Jisung shrugged, bringing his seat into a near horizontal position.

“I’ll still keep you company up here. G’night.”

Changbin sighed quietly to himself, shaking his head at Jisung, whose eyes were already closed.

Hours later, when Jisung woke up again, he found himself covered by a blanket, and Changbin nowhere to be seen. Just as he stretched, bringing his seat into a more upright position as he sat up, the door to the bridge opened. Changbin walked in, closely followed by Chan, who looked like he’d just woken up.

“You went down to wake Chan up? What happened to just using the intercom?” Jisung teased, and Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Would  _ you _ like to be woken up by a random disembodied voice echoing in your cabin?”

“Point. How far out are we?”

“Twenty minutes until they come into view. Time to get ready.”

Chan rubbed at his face, pushing his hair out of his face, and yawned as he sat down in the chair next to the one Changbin had claimed from him in front of the desk. Jisung had to keep himself from cooing; nothing about Chan in that moment hinted at how ruthless he could really be.

That soon changed, though, starting with the look in his eyes as soon as Changbin indicated which of the dots of light in the distance in front of them was the Alliance ship they were tailing. Within seconds, all of the softness was gone from Chan’s expression, and even though he barely moved, his whole stance became that of a deadly predator. The change was so swift, so subtle but definite that it sent chills down Jisung’s back.

“How long do you need to get in?” Chan asked.

Even his voice changed, becoming cold and calculating.

“Checking that. Depends on their systems. I’m keeping us veiled for now.”

Changbin was at the very least just as focused as Chan, but where Chan looked menacing and out for blood, Changbin resembled more an excited child. However, that did not affect his efficiency, and after no more than ten minutes, he settled back in his seat.

“Fifteen minutes until they are in our hands. We are exactly eighteen minutes out at current speed.”

Chan nodded, once.

“We’ll keep current speed, veiling up. Tail them. Once you have control over their steering and weapons, we lower the veil and tell them to surrender. If they don’t, we fire a warning shot. Jisung, any part we can blow up that we don’t need spare parts from?”

Jisung sat up straighter in his seat, tucking the cartoon-themed fluffy blanket he’d been covered with away behind himself.

“Anything ventral is fine, or the outer ends of any wing; but that might make it look as if we’re just bad shots…”

“Not if we get  _ all _ the outer ends of their wings…”

Another cold shiver ran down Jisung’s back.

For a few minutes, they sat in silence as they closed the distance to the Alliance ship, until Chan got up.

“Alright. Jisung, suits. Let’s go!”

Jisung was up in a heartbeat, following Chan down to the cargo bay to get changed into their combat suits, get his tool-belt strapped on and ready to board the other ship. He was nervous, he couldn’t deny it. His movements were smooth, he had enough practice in not letting his nervousness affect his actions, but Chan still must have sensed it rolling off of him. If he hadn’t before, he got the confirmation at the very latest when he placed his hand on Jisung’s shoulder and Jisung jumped a foot off the ground at the contact.

“Hey… You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you, ok? There is a chance they’ll shoot at us when we board, but just stay behind me and you’ll be safe. I won’t let any blasts come close to you. If it makes you feel better, you can wait here until I’ve rounded the crew up and secured them before you board, too.”

Jisung exhaled slowly.

“No… no, it’s fine. I’ll come with you. I can do this.”

Chan gave him a long look, and the warmth Jisung had gotten used to see more and more often in Chan’s eyes when he looked at him or Changbin over the past two weeks returned momentarily.

He looked like he was about to say something else when Changbin’s voice came over the intercom, interrupting the moment, and Chan’s eyes focused and became cold again.

“One minute until I have control over their ship. Four until we are within reach. I connected the comm by the bridge with the external link. You can hail their bridge in ninety seconds, starting… now.”

Chan nodded to himself, then shot Jisung a quick glance and a little smile. Jisung nodded back, straightening his back, and they approached the docking bridge. 

“I got them. Establishing connection. You good?” Changbin asked through the intercom.

“We’re ready.” 

“Connection stands. Whenever you want to, go ahead.”

The look in Chan’s eyes grew even colder, if that was even possible, and he hovered his hand over the button for the external link.

“Lower the veiling, Changbin.” 

“Done. We’re right in front of them.”

Chan opened the external link, and his voice dropped to almost a growl.

“Evening, motherfuckers. I have control over your ship. Surrender and grant me access, or I’ll fuck you up!”

Jisung shivered a little, but at the same time had to keep in a chuckle.

“What?” Chan hissed, frowning, and that succeeded in breaking Jisung’s chuckle out.

“Cliché, but ok.”

Chan gaped at him, then shook his head, and a small smile played around his lips.

“Shut up.” His voice held no bite whatsoever as he directed it at Jisung.

The intercom crackled, catching their attention again.

“You are inconveniencing Alliance forces. Release your hold immediately and we might consider pleading to lower your sentence during your trial.”

Chan rolled his eyes, opening the channel to Changbin. 

“Changbin, give me visuals of them.”

The screen next to Jisung flickered to life, showing them what Changbin was seeing from the bridge.

“Thanks. Now fire!”

“Uh… At what?”

“Don’t worry about that! Just fire! Go!”

Changbin didn’t question again and fired. Seconds later, Jisung understood why as Chan’s eyes seemed to glow brighter than usual, and the randomly fired blast changed course, ripping off the end of one of the wings of the Alliance fighter.

“Again!” Chan commanded, and Changbin fired without questioning. That blast, too, changed course and tore the other wing-end off.

Chan slammed the button for the external link.

“I’m not playing around, assholes. Now, I have only one more warning shot planned before I blast you into oblivion. Am I going to need to fire that, too, or are you going to be good boys and let me on board already? Personally, I’d rather save the ammunition, but if you want it the hard way, I’m down for that, too!”

There was no answer for quite a while, and Chan grew impatient.

“Changbin. Prepare another shot. Don’t shoot yet, just let them know we’re ready.”

“Sure thing. Let’s hope they even see it; they are so busy realizing that I am literally  _ everywhere _ in their system. This is precious, actually!” Changbin chuckled. Just then the external link crackled to life again.

“Access granted. This will have repercussions, boy…!” The captain of the Alliance ship growled; clearly defeated, clearly unhappy.

“Sweet! I’ll be over in a minute! Just make sure you keep those blasts to yourself, if you don’t want them somewhere painful yourself!” Chan switched the external link off, and opened the channel to the bridge again.

“Changbin, bring us into docking position.”

“I’m a hacker, Chan, not a navigator… These precision moves are really not my forte…” Changbin grumbled, and Chan hummed in understanding.

“That’s alright, just bring us roughly into position, get me a visual of the docking site and I’ll do the rest.”

It took mere seconds for a view of the side of the Alliance ship to appear on the screen, showing them moving in.

“Thanks, Changbin, I’ll take over!” Chan announced, rather chipper, and Changbin grumbled.

“I can get used to you moving blasts and all kinds of objects, but you moving a whole ship, that’s just a whole other level of unsettling…”

“It’s a whole other level of focus, too. We gotta fine-tune your navigation skills, so I don’t need to do this anymore. It’s a win-win situation for the both of us. Anyway, we’re docked. See you in a minute, Changbin!”

Jisung gasped quietly, not having felt a single thing that indicated they had completed a docking maneuver, no vibrations, no jolts, nothing.

“What the hell, when did that happen- Crap, Chan, you are too good at this!” 

Chan didn’t hear Changbin’s rambling over the intercom anymore. Only Jisung did, before he followed Chan into the tunnel that would connect the two ships. Just as he reached his captain, Chan was opening the airlock between the ships, and they were greeted by three Alliance soldiers pointing their blasters at them. Jisung flinched instinctually, but Chan’s expression remained completely icy. 

“I suggest you put those away, if you don’t want anyone to get hurt. And by anyone, I mean any of you asshats.”

The soldiers looked uncertain, and Chan met them with a challenging gaze.

“What, you really think I would come over here this nonchalant if I wasn’t certain your blasts would never hit me? Give me those, dumbasses.” He held his hands out, and all three blasters came flying into his hands, where they melted to clumps before he dropped them.

“How many of you are on this ship?” Chan then asked, taking a step towards the three soldiers. One of them took a stumbling step back, while the other two remained where they were despite looking just as ready to flee as their companion.

“Answer me, dammit!” Chan quickly lost his patience, but was suddenly interrupted by the intercom in the bay crackling to life with Changbin’s voice.

“Four registered, captain. Tracking in their suits says three in the bay, one on the bridge. There’s no activity anywhere else on the ship indicating there might be someone else, no one on camera. Might want to stay alert, though.”

Chan rose an eyebrow.

“Handy.” He remarked, then focused on the guys in front of him again. 

“You three. Stay here. Don’t move. Be good boys, and no one is gonna get hurt. Piss me off, and you’ll have between three to five minutes to regret it as you bleed to death. You have been warned.”

Chan started past them, towards the stairs to the upper deck, but he turned back around sharply. 

“And don’t think I won’t know just because I’m not looking! Play by the rules, boys!”

Jisung shook his head, heading off in the direction of the engine decks. He wouldn’t have pegged Chan for one prone to theatrics. He hadn’t been up to any dramatics when he’d taken the slaver ship, anyway. But then again, back then they had fired first, and Chan had simply taken them out as he went. Here, he was supposedly trying to avoid a bloodbath.

He didn’t encounter anyone as he went to the engine decks, working systematically on dismantling the parts they needed to replace broken ones on their ship. When he passed through the cargo bay to bring the first load of spare parts over to their ship, a fourth soldier, this one looking far grumpier than the rest, had joined the four that had been in there before. He didn’t pay them much mind, hurrying over to drop off the parts and go back to get more. On his way back, he ran into Chan in the docking bridge.

“They had fresh vegetables on board, and frozen meat; not dried. We’re gonna eat good the next few days!” Chan announced, lifting two heavy-looking bags for show. Jisung whistled.

“Nice!” He exclaimed, then hurried back to the engine deck.

It took seven or eight trips for him to get all the parts they needed exchanged. On his last trip, Chan called him before he could disappear in the docking bridge again.

“Come back once you dropped that off, I need your help with something!”

Jisung got curious, hurrying to come back.

Chan was rummaging through a large, dark grey crate in a corner of the cargo bay.

“What would you say this is? And is any of this of use for us?” Chan asked as soon as Jisung joined him. 

“You won’t have use for that. Pathetic gutter rats like you wouldn’t recognize true value if it punched you in the face!” The captain of the Alliance crew spat, speaking for the first time where Jisung could hear him.

He felt Chan tense up next to him, but he paid the captain no mind, focusing on the contents of the crate instead.

“All these parts are broken, they are of no use for us…” He declared after a quick survey, which apparently elicited a scoff from the Alliance captain. That only angered Chan further, he could tell, and Jisung quickly placed a hand on Chan’s arm, catching his attention again. “But, all of these things have one thing in common: they contain Flerovium. That shit’s valuable and hard to find. It only occurs naturally on a handful of known planets, and is really hard to extract; and hard to produce artificially. Wars have been fought for this stuff. But, it’s easy to recover if you recycle stuff it’s a part of. This crate is worth a fortune; if the Alliance loses it, they’ll pop several gaskets...”

“Bitch ass Atalaian scum, who told you to run your mouth, huh? Why couldn’t you just rot in the slime holes you crawled out of-”

“Back off, fuckface!” Chan growled, jumping into action and blocking the bath of the advancing captain, a vein pulsating dangerously on his temple. “And shut the fuck up, before I make you! Permanently!”

Suddenly, Chan spun, and before Jisung could register what was going on, a blast was fired, and one of the soldiers screamed out in pain, clutching his leg as he crumpled to the floor several steps away from his companions. Chan didn’t pay him any further attention.

“You, stay where you are! He made his choice!” He growled at the other two instead, who fearfully froze in their place after seeing the blast their companion had fired at Jisung turn around in mid-air to embed itself in his leg.

Jisung stared wide-eyed at the guy on the floor, and the rapidly growing puddle of blood underneath and surrounding him.

“Don’t look, Sung.” Chan whispered to him, and Jisung averted his gaze.

“It’s ok. They won’t get you. I promise.”

Jisung believed him.

“W-what are we going to do with this?” He tried to distract himself from the rapidly dying whimpers behind him. Three to five minutes, Chan had said… He shuddered.

Chan thought about it for a moment.

“We’ll take it. This is too valuable to blow up, but it’s also too valuable to let the Alliance keep it. I’ll transfer it once we’re out of here.”

Jisung nodded shakily, and Chan patted him on the back softly.

“Go back. I’ll be right there, too.”

Again, Jisung nodded, and tried hard to not look at the now completely still, unoving soldier on the floor as he hurried back to the docking bridge. Chan saw that he made it unbothered, before securing the crate with the Flerovium trash. 

He felt the shift of energy in the bay as one of the soldiers moved, turning in time to see the captain coming at him. He wasn’t aiming a blaster at him, clearly having learned the lesson from his now dead comrade, but was instead wielding a pair of daggers.

Chan blocked the attack easily, letting his powers flare as he disarmed the man and pinned him to the nearest wall while the daggers hovered in the air behind Chan, pressing against the necks of the two remaining soldiers who’d tried to come to their captain’s aid.

“Beiran bastard. You should have died with the rest of your pathetic, abnormal brood!” The captain snarled, spitting at Chan’s face. The spit never hit him, blocked by his powers, but the intention pissed Chan off all the more.

“One day, I will join my people in death, old man. But not before I’ve avenged every single one of them, and every single creature that died on Beire; tenfold!” 

He didn’t touch the captain, not physically, to snap his neck. His lifeless body crumpled to Chan’s feet, and Chan didn’t spare it a single glance anymore.

“Ch-chan? You might want to see this…” Changbin’s voice came over the intercom, and a screen next to Chan flickered to life, showing a list of war medals and badges.

“What…?”

“I just found this, look…”

A portion of the list was selected and zoomed in, and Chan’s blood froze as he read the description.

“‘Special Deeds in the Protection of the Pure People: Beire’... What… What does that mean, Changbin.” Chan’s voice was as cutting and cold as ice, and all the way over on the other end of the connection a cold shiver ran down Changbin’s back.

“Protection of the Pure People is what the Alliance calls their crusade against species with special mental powers. This badge in particular was given to those-”

“Those who helped destroy Beire.” Chan finished for Changbin, and Changbin didn’t bother confirming it.

Chan turned away from the screen and to the two remaining soldiers slowly, bloody intent written all over his face. The soldiers were petrified, not daring to move a single muscle under Chan’s scrutiny. They didn’t try to hide the strips of purple decorating the left side of their chests, the same ones Chan had just been shown on the screen; it was too late anyway.

Chan stalked towards them with measured steps, yet his steps were the only thing about him that was controlled. His powers, however, were all over the place, and everything that wasn’t either extremely heavy or bolted to the floor and walls started levitating around him. The two soldiers held on to the wall behind them as they were lifted off their feet.

“P-please…” one of them stuttered as Chan came to a stop before them, but it was the wrong thing to say.

“You  _ dare _ beg before me… You dare. You proudly wear the badge that marks you as the ruthless killer of an entire innocent species, an entire planet, and yet you  _ dare _ ask for mercy…”

An invisible force grabbed the soldiers in a chokehold, lifting them further off the ground.

“I’ll show you mercy. The same mercy you showed the children of Beire.”

The daggers that had held the two in check before came flying back from where Chan’s uncontrolled powers had thrown them before, simultaneously embedding themselves in the chests of the soldiers, piercing their diaphragms.

Their eyes widened as they heaved for breath, but next to none would fill their lungs, blood instead choking them, spilling out of their mouths.

Chan turned his back to them, not needing to see their last struggle. Instead, he marched to the docking bridge without a glance back.

He leaned heavily against the wall on his side of the bridge, activating the intercom.

“Changbin, open the ramps. I’m transferring the crate.” He bit out between clenched teeth.

Changbin didn’t say anything, but Chan could feel the airlock around him closing, keeping him safe, before the ramps lowered and the airlock to the cargo bay of the Alliance ship opened. His powers were drained from his outburst, in disarray and frazzled, but thankfully, the weightlessness in the vacuum of space worked in his favour, and he managed to move the crate onto the ramp of his own ship.

Changbin took over from there, maneuvering the crate with belts and winches until it was safely in the bay, and the airlocks could be released.

With the airlock releasing, all of Chan’s strength seemed to vanish, too, and he crumpled to the floor. He just stayed there, unmoving. His body as well as his mind seemed to have come to a sudden halt.

That was, until suddenly someone stood in the opening to the niche he was sitting in, closing the distance to him after a second of hesitation.

“Hey…” Jisung’s voice was soft. “Are you… alright?”

Chan barely found the energy to shake his head once, and then he was gathered in Jisung’s arms.

It was all it took for his dams to break, and tears to spill uncontrollably. A second pair of arms joined Jisung’s around his body, and he only cried harder. 

He wasn’t sure why exactly he was crying. He’d wiped out entire crews before, but never had he felt like this afterwards. Maybe it was because he knew the people he had killed this time had been involved in destroying his planet. Or maybe it was because he was being hugged so tightly, so… lovingly, for the first time in a long time.

No one knew how much time had passed before Chan managed to reign himself in again.

“I’m sorry…” was the first thing he whispered. “I’m so sorry…”

Changbin rubbed his back softly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Chan. Nothing at all.”

Chan shook his head, though, pushing himself out of their combined hold a little.

“I do… I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to see-... I shouldn’t have lost control like that. That bloodbath… You shouldn’t have had to witness that…”

Jisung hugged him tighter again, while Changbin ran a hand through his hair.

“It’s ok. It wasn’t pretty, but we don’t blame you.”

“You had every reason, and every right to do that. It doesn’t change how we see you.”

Tears threatened to well up in Chan’s eyes again, but before they could, Changbin pulled Chan up into a standing position.

“Come. Let’s not stay in this dank bay any longer. We have cozy cabins and a cozy bridge and galley to hang out in, and we have groceries to pack away.”

Chan swallowed thickly, nodding tentatively, and Jisung patted his back gently.

“Let’s go make us some dinner. You said something about fresh vegetables earlier? I wonder what kind… Did you see any roots in the mix?”

Chan choked out a small laugh.

“I-I don’t remember. We’ll have to check.” He answered, a weak smile on his lips.

*#*#*#*

Much later that night, and a good while after Chan had sent Jisung and Changbin to rest in their shared cabin, Jisung still felt too strung up to sleep. They had made and eaten a pretty nice dinner for once, and had an actually quite enjoyable time just hanging out with each other. Jisung had thought he had managed to relax enough to sleep, and he was definitely tired enough for it, but for some reason, sleep still wouldn’t come to him.

“Sung…?” Changbin whispered quietly into the darkness after a while; loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough that it wouldn’t have woken him up had he actually been asleep.

“Yeah?”

“So, you are awake… What’s keeping you up?”

Jisung sighed, rolling over so he was facing Changbin even though they couldn’t make out much more than outlines in the darkness.

“I’m not sure… I think… Today was just a lot.”

Changbin exhaled slowly.

“Tell me about it… Hacking that ship… That was nerve-wracking. I’ve never had to shoulder so much responsibility before…”

Jisung hummed.

“I kept praying that there would be no round or rusted screws, nothing that would slow me down while getting the parts… And I kept fearing that I would run into another soldier that we’d missed…”

“Yeah… I was so scared I’d missed something and there’d be an extra person somewhere on that ship that could get to you… Or come over to ours and get me… Chan would have been fine, but damn, we’re vulnerable. And when that one guy fired at you…”

Jisung swallowed thickly, his chest constricting painfully as the images from earlier flashed in his mind, along with the noises, of the soldier’s simultaneously slow but also quick death.

“You’re blaming yourself, aren’t you?” Changbin asked, quieter, and Jisung made a non-committal sound.

“I… don’t know. I feel like… He would have died anyway, most likely. But in that moment… He died right then and there because of me; because he shot at me.”

Changbin reached out in the dark, finding Jisung’s arm and following it down until he could hold his hand, squeezing it gently.

“He deserved it, Sung. It was either you or him, and I’m glad it wasn’t you… He was a horrible man, anyway, one who took pride in having contributed to the killing of millions of innocent people. The universe is better off without him.”

Jisung wanted to believe Changbin. He needed to believe him, and try to see the events of the evening through Changbin’s eyes. Maybe then he’d understand… everything he didn’t understand. Or, he could ask Changbin.

“Binnie… Can I ask you something?” He asked after a moment of weighing the pros and cons, in no more than a whisper.

“Of course…”

He swallowed thickly.

“Why did you… Why did you show Chan the meaning of the badge in that moment…? You… It was obvious what would happen the moment you did...”

Changbin breathed deeply before answering.

“Yes… I knew what was going to happen… And that was why I showed him then. So far, I’d been able to keep him ignorant about the new badge that’s been handed out, but… I don’t think I could have hidden it from him much longer. And there, on that ship… He had a vent to let the pain out, a way to do something about it. Those soldiers would have died anyway; in a way, Chan even did them a favour by killing them quickly. But… imagine if he’d found out about the badges on a regular day here on the ship, with no proper outlet around… I’m not saying he would have done either of us any harm, but he might have decided to do something rash, something that could have gotten us all in trouble, hurt, or even killed.”

Jisung let that sink in, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

“Back then… when he went after those soldiers, and the captain… he was really scary. I’d always heard about how peace-loving and gentle Beirans were, the perfectly balanced, in-control beings, formidable healers, lovers of everything calm and guardians of life. But Chan…”

“Chan is in pain, Jisung…”

“I know… Shit, I  _ know _ ! There is so much agony in him, like when he crumpled by the docking bridge earlier… It’s so intense, you can physically feel it by just standing next to him! I don’t know how he can live with it, to be honest…”

Changbin hummed.

“He lives with it by letting it out, getting his revenge…”

“I suppose… But, that’s not exactly healthy, now is it… There’ll come a time when he’ll realize that, too; that destroying Alliance ships in revenge won’t make a difference in the long run. It won’t bring his people, his planet back. And… Since he’s going against everything that’s in his nature now… Won’t that just make it worse, in the end? What if he completely loses  _ himself _ ?”

Changbin thought about it for a long time, so long that Jisung thought he wouldn’t get an answer from him anymore. Eventually, he found words to answer Jisung’s question, though.

“He won’t lose himself. Sung, I think he’s already finding back to himself, actually.”

“He is? How so?”

“The way he is with us… With us, he is showing his true nature, more and more… I think… I think we’re bringing him back, just by being here, by his side. It might take a while, and even more blown-up ships, but… While his quest for revenge is still giving him purpose now, we are already giving him a reason to keep going beyond that; he wants to protect us, to keep us safe. That is his true nature taking over again. And we, we are becoming his new people. We’ll never replace the ones he lost, but we can make a home for ourselves in his heart, and give his heart a home.”

Changbin’s words were beautiful, Jisung found. They were definitely soothing, easing his mind, his worries. Thinking about them, Jisung finally fell asleep.


	4. Blasted

“Aaand, we’re out! Binnie, fire!” Jisung whooped, hopping out of the docking bridge into the cargo bay.

“Can you actually wait until I’m out, too?! Binnie, you can fire!” Chan quipped as he jumped into the bay himself.

“I can literally hear Binnie rolling his eyes at us right now.” Jisung laughed.

“That’s absolutely right. One day, my eyes are going to get stuck in the back of my head from rolling them so hard at you two. And who’s gonna fire for you then?” Came Changbin’s voice over the intercom, making both Chan and Jisung laugh.

“Still you, Binnie. You just need to fire, not aim, after all!”

“You got me there. Firing in three… two… one… Fired!”

Chan’s eyes glowed silver and the fired blast outside changed course and embedded itself in the engine deck of the ship they’d just finished raiding.

“Damn, that’s going to leave a big hole…”

Chan shrugged.

“We’re not recycling this ship, anyway… Did you get their computers?”

“Aye, Captain!”

“He blew them up before I told him to, too. I wasn’t even done planting all my bugs in their system…” Changbin grumbled over their intercom, and Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Oh no, whatever shall we do! Looks like we’ll have to raid another ship soon so you can complete that upload… What an inconvenience!”

It was Chan’s turn to roll his eyes at Jisung.

“You’ve become such a chaos squirrel… Whatever happened to shy, quiet little Jisungie?”

Jisung snorted.

“I was never shy and quiet…!”

“You used to be when it came to raids.”

Jisung shrugged.

“Well, guess I learned to see the fun in them!”

Chan gave him a reprimanding look.

“We’re not doing this for fun, Sung…”

Jisung sighed.

“I know, Chan. I just mean… I learned to appreciate being a pain in the ass to the Alliance. I see the fun in that, ok? And I guess I’ve learned to appreciate the aesthetics of seeing things go Kaboom!”

Chan shook his head, but a small smile was playing around his lips and he reached out to ruffle Jisung’s hair.

“Wherever did you go wrong, child…”

Jisung snorted, but didn’t move away from Chan’s touch.

“Not a child, and there’s nothing wrong with me. I’m doing just fine!”

Chan chuckled, and moved to give Jisung a one-armed hug.

“That you are. Come on, let’s go up and see what Binnie got for us.”

They made their way up to the bridge, where Changbin barely looked up from the desk in front of him in greeting.

“That took you long enough…” He remarked, waiting for Chan and Jisung to sit down next to him before he straightened up, ready to report what he’d goten for them during the raid.

“So… There wasn’t much to get today. These guys were on the same payroll as the last one we took over, and it wasn’t fixed yet. So no credits for us this time.”

Chan nodded indifferently, while Jisung didn’t show any reaction at all. 

“Now, intel… There’s a sweet morsel. This ship was supposed to join and aid one Deputy Commander Erxeres in a mission over by the Seissal system. Deputy Commander Erxeres was one of the squadron leaders that took out outbound ships from Beire during the wipeout.”

Chan’s jaw set, but that was his only outward reaction to the mention of the wipeout of his home planet.

“How far out from the Seissal system are we?”

“About two days.”

“Can you find out which ship is Erxeres’? And tail it?”

“I’m way ahead of you. It looks like Erxeres’ ship is about three times the size of ours, though. And she’s expecting to be joined by another ship besides the one we just took out in roughly two days.”

Chan’s expression darkened.

“Do you think we can reach her before that?”

Changbin hummed pensively.

“Possibly… I don’t know what kind of ship is supposed to join her, though, or when exactly they are joining her… I’m working on trying to find that out, but so far I don’t even have a lead.”

Chan sighed.

“That’s ok… You only just found out about it, too. Set course to the Seissal system anyway, we’ll figure everything else out on the way.”

Changbin nodded slowly, pulling up the autopilot to set course. 

*#*#*#*

Twenty four hours later, Changbin remained none the wiser about the time of arrival or type of ship that was supposed to join and aid Deputy Commander Erxeres.

“Chan… Can I give you my honest opinion about this?” Changbin asked tentatively when Chan wandered onto the bridge that evening.

“Sure, of course!”

“I don’t have a good feeling here… The security on the information about the aiding ship is too sophisticated for my liking. I’m not saying I won’t be able to crack it, but I might not be able to do it in time before we reach Erxeres. Besides, I don’t see why this information would need to be so heavily encrypted… It feels fishy to me. I feel like something is wrong.”

Chan nodded slowly, contemplating Changbin’s words for a long while, before patting his back gently.

“I trust your abilities to crack that information before we reach them. We’re staying on course for now.”

With that, Chan left the bridge, leaving Changbin behind to continue trying to crack the security systems to find out more about the ship that was supposed to join Erxeres.

“No pressure there… Guess we’re not sleeping tonight!” Changbin mumbled under his breath, cracking his knuckles before going back to trying to crack the information on the aiding ship.

However, not even spending the whole night awake helped Changbin find out much more about the ship.

“All I’ve managed to find are some day-old coordinates that put them 32 universal light years away from the meeting point, based on an encrypted message they sent to Erxeres. I have no idea how fast they  _ can _ travel, how fast they are actually travelling, what kind of ship they have… Nothing. Chan, this is not good news.”

Chan exhaled slowly, nodding to himself.

“Let’s… lets approach this in a different way… Hone in on Erxeres, and check every ship in her surroundings. Monitor that, and notify me of any changes.”

Changbin groaned quietly.

“How much of her surroundings are we talking about?”

“Two light-years, at all times.”

Changbin dropped his hands off the desk, turning around to look straight at Chan with an incredulous expression.

“You’re kidding me.”

Chan shook his head, though.

“Not at all.”

“Chan, there are entire  _ planetary systems _ in that radius!”

“I know.”

“You’re asking the impossible of me!”

“I’m not. Just… find all the ships, and then narrow it down to just Alliance ships. Of those, take out messenger and cargo ships, and any that are moving  _ away _ from the Seissal system and Erxeres.”

Changbin nodded numbly, going to work. Chan didn’t move away from his spot, watching Changbin work. After a while, he placed a gentle hand on Changbin’s back.

“Bin… Have you slept at all last night?”

Changbin shook his head, not looking away from the desk he was working on furiously, typing, selecting, connecting and rearranging star charts, flight plans, and whatnot.

“No… I’ve been trying to crack the security on the intel on the aiding ship all night… I might have passed out for a few minutes at a time, but no more than that…”

Chan sighed softly.

“I’m sorry, Bin... “

Changbin grumbled something unintelligible, and Chan sat down next to him.

“Go on and take a nap when you’ve set up the monitoring perimeter with the filters. I’ll watch them.”

Changbin looked up to give him a doubting look.

“And what if you find one that is suspicious? Will you know how to pull up the info about them?”

Chan frowned.

“I’m not completely useless, you know. I’ve actually found, tailed and pulled up intel about ships before you joined me.”

Changbin shrunk a little in his seat, returning to his task.

“Yeah. You’re right. Sorry.”

They didn’t speak again until Changbin had the monitoring set up.

“Ok… I’m done here. This purple dot is Erxeres. Planetary systems appear as green, unfilled circles. They are teeming with ships, including Alliance ships, so only ships that are out of orbit will appear in the monitoring. All these...” he indicated a bunch of differently coloured dots “...are Alliance ships that are neither messengers or cargo. They are colour coded according to size and type, but that’s not relevant right now.”

Chan nodded in understanding.

“If you want any info on a specific ship, select the dot, like this, and drag it down to this area. Don’t tap it. Hold, and drag.”

Chan nodded again.

“Ok. Thanks, Bin. Now, go for that nap. I’ve kept you up long enough.”

Changbin hummed and got up, vacating the chair for Chan, who took it swiftly. He hovered for a moment, as if he wanted to say something before he left, but he ended up shaking his head and leaving without saying anything.

Changbin had trouble falling asleep, and even though it was hours after he’d actually fallen asleep when Jisung came into their shared cabin to wake him up, he felt as if he had only slept a few minutes. 

Tiredly, he trudged after Jisung up to the bridge, falling into the seat Chan vacated for him.

“Anything new?” 

Chan shook his head.

“All the dots closer to Erxeres are either yellow or blue, and those are the ones about our size. We’re half an hour out from Erxeres ourselves, and no other ship is as close to them as us.”

Changbin stared at the charts in front of him, shaking his head slowly.

“I don’t understand this… Something feels wrong, I’m telling you…”

Jisung hummed good-naturedly, patting Changbin’s back gently.

“I’ll be ok, Binnie. You probably just feel anxious because you found a code you couldn’t crack. This might be the biggest ship we’re attacking so far, but still. I’m confident we can do this!”

Changbin hummed, studying the star chart in front of him.

“I feel like we’re missing something… There’s something we’re overlooking…”

Chan sighed softly.

“Bin, look out the window. There is only that one ship in the distance. We’re not missing anything. All we need to do now is proceed as usual, and take that ship out.”

Changbin nodded slowly.

“Ok… Ok. Do you want to… to board?”

Chan thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. Yes, I do. We’re not looting them, though. I just want… Blowing their ship to pieces is too merciful. I want-... I’m boarding, and I’m taking them out one by one. I want nothing of theirs on my ship. I just want them to-... to choke on their blood and stew in misery. Neither of you need to see that, though, so, Jisung, you should stay here while I go over…”

Jisung shook his head, though.

“I’m coming with you. You go, I go. There’ll be more soldiers on that ship than on any other we’ve boarded before. You need someone at your back.”

Chan opened his mouth, presumably to protest and remark that if Jisung came with him, that would only mean he had two backs to watch, but he snapped his mouth back shut again.

“I’d prefer if neither of you boarded that ship… Something is  _ off _ and I just wish I could tell what exactly it is…” Changbin repeated, still immersed in the star-charts in front of him.”

Chan sighed deeply.

“I need to, Bin. I need to board that ship and… Erxeres… I want her to suffer like she  made my people suffer… But tenfold. I want… If I can rip her heart out and feel it struggle through its last beats in my fist, that will only just so be enough for me, you know?”

Changbin grimaced.

“Yikes. Make sure to wash your hands before you come up here after that, or so help me, captain or not, you’re not touching this desk. Or any of the chairs. Blood is messy, and I wouldn’t even know how to begin cleaning that off.”

Chan didn’t react to Changbin’s attempts at a humorous approach, but he did make a mental note to make sure at least Changbin didn’t have to witness any trace of the bloodshed in person. If Jisung wanted to come with him, he wouldn’t stop him, though.

“Just get us into position. We’re firing without warning, immobilizing them, then we board. No negotiations. Jisung, if you’re coming with me, I’m arming you to your teeth. Come with me.”

Changbin stared after them as they left the bridge, fixing the empty spot where they had vanished out of his sight for minutes before focusing back on the control desk. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen, and whatever it was, it would go horribly wrong for them. 

His feet were bouncing rapidly under his chair as he sat at the edge of his seat, coordinating the approach maneuver that would put them alongside the Alliance ship, in a position that was relatively safe from enemy fire.

“Bin, give me visuals and prepare to fire!” Chan’s voice came over the intercom, and Changbin sighed.

“We’re not in position yet, Chan…”

“I don’t care. This is not a normal raid. Just do it.”

Changbin shook his head, but did as his captain told him.

“Thanks. You ready to fire?”

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“Whenever you are. Pros of not needing to aim, I suppose…”

“Then fire. I’d say… Six shots, for now. Shoot the next blast whenever the one before has hit a target.”

“Sure thing. Firing in three… two… one… Now!” He fired, and watched as the blast changed course and hit one of the wing engines on the Alliance ship. He fired the next round, which went into the rear propulsor, then the next one, which cleanly took off half of one wing, and a fourth, blowing a hole into where the engine deck should be.

He was momentarily distracted when the cannons of Erxeres’ ship turned to aim at them, but they had no visuals of them yet and their blasts flew past them.

“Changbin, fire!” Chan barked through the intercom, and Changbin hit the fire command within a split second. The blast took the cannon that was shooting at them clean off, blasting a hole into the hull where it had originally sat that was larger than what the blast alone should have been able to take out.

“Give me another five, Bin! They want beef, they’re getting it!”

Changbin grit his teeth, firing at the rhythm Chan had asked for, until the Alliance ship was scarcely more than a burning blob, no wings or engines left intact.

“Get us alongside them, we’re boarding!”

“Aye captain!” He sighed at the intercom, but brought them alongside the other ship so Chan could complete the docking maneuver. Despite what he’d originally thought, he had actually gotten used to Chan moving the ship with his powers alone quite quickly.

As soon as the docking maneuver was complete, Changbin took the chance to infiltrate Erxeres’ ship’s computer system, attacking the communications center with everything he got. He would not give up on finding out about whatever he could about that other ship that was supposed to come to Erxeres’ aid!

*#*#*#*

Every single muscle -and probably nerve, too- in Chan’s body was pulled taut as they waited for the docking bridge to open so they could board Erxeres ship. When it finally did, Chan didn’t even wait for it to open completely before setting into motion.

Jisung followed him quickly, his stomach in a tight knot. He knew this would be different than any other ship they had raided before. They weren’t even going to pretend they wanted to keep anyone alive for any reason!

Before Jisung could even step out of the docking bridge after Chan, the first bodies already collapsed to the floor, necks snapped. Chan didn’t spare them a second glance as he marched past them, and Jisung had to jog to catch up. He needed to stay close to Chan to stay safe, but also… Staying close to Chan might not be the safest thing to do at this point, with how his powers were snapping around him. 

Jisung stayed close, anyway, though. He didn’t want Chan to go in here alone, he felt like Chan needed someone with him. Chan had been alone in this for too long, he was not going to let it happen again if he could help it. Still, he flinched as a whole wave of soldiers approached them running, and Chan hurled two panels of the wall that had come loose due to his snapping powers at them, beheading at least four of them. The remaining ones didn’t stand a chance, either, as Chan snapped their necks, too. 

Jisung inhaled deeply, slowly, through his mouth. The stench of blood was rapidly saturating the hallway, and he could never get used to that; especially the smell of some species’ blood!

“Ugh, Channie, could you stick to snapping their necks for now? Like... I’m sure one of them was Ferragudan; it reeks of mud and trash in here now. And I don’t want to know what other species have absolutely disgusting smelling blood!”

Chan groaned quietly, but the wild snapping of his powers around him died down significantly.

“Shut up, Sung… And remind me to invest in a facemask for you before our next raid to help with that.”

“Sure will. Now-”

He was interrupted by a booming voice coming over the intercom of the ship, drowning out his own.

“Pirates! Relocate to the bay deck of this ship and surrender your arms!”

Jisung snorted.

“My arms are attached to my body, and I’d rather keep them there, thank you very much…”

Chan rolled his eyes.

“I swear on Belize, Sung…”

“ I repeat: relocate to the bay deck! No weapons! We will shoot on sight should you not follow our orders.”

“Oh,  _ please _ do!” Chan muttered, starting ahead again, and his powers flared again.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me...! Chan, Channie, my favourite captain…!  _ Please _ don’t get that blood flying all over the place- Ew, ew, gross! Chan, seriously!” Jisung could barely keep up with Chan, and he seriously debated not to as Chan sped past the corpses and his powers sent blood flying everywhere.

“I’m going to convince Binnie to team up with me and put you on laundry duty next!” He threatened, and Chan shook his head at him, without slowing down.

“You are so wrong in the head, Sung…”

“Oh, look who’s talking! Insulting me won’t get you out of laundry duty, just so you know! Ah! Hallway, right!!” Jisung shouted as they passed an intersection, and he saw soldiers coming towards them. They fired, but Chan redirected their blasts.

“Their faces? Seriously? Heads are so messy, ew! Whoa, on the left! Left!” 

Chan spun, and those soldiers, too, crumpled to the floor of the hallway, necks snapped.

“I knew you could do this without being messy. Why did you have to make a mess over there?”

“Where do you suggest I direct the fired blasts without making a mess, then?” Chan asked with a groan, before continuing down the hallway they had been marching down.

“Uh… Ok, point, but… Oh, whatever!”

“Thought so.” There was no small amount of satisfaction over being right in Chan’s voice, and Jisung mimicked him behind his back, knowing full well that Chan could hear him. Chan didn’t care, though.

“Where are we even going?” Jisung eventually inquired.

“The bridge.”

“For what?”

“That’s where the captain of this ship will most likely be. Also, where the main computer is. We need to destroy both.”

Jisung shuddered slightly.

“Cool. I’ll take the computer.”

“Do not, and I repeat, do  _ not _ destroy the computer yet, guys! I almost got it!” Changbin’s voice came over the intercom of the ship, and Jisung screamed.

“Bin! What the fuck! Have you been creeping on us the whole time?!”

“I’m in their communications center, so, yeah. I’m in on pushing laundry duty on Chan if there’s really Ferragudan blood on your clothes. That shit’s nasty!”

Jisung laughed.

“Hah! You’re it, Chan!”

Chan rolled his eyes.

“Guys, can you take this at least a little bit seriously?”

“I am, Chan. I promise you I am. I am  _ this _ close to figuring out what the deal with the aiding ship is. By the way, the captain is not on the bridge, she’s on her way to the bay.”

Chan skidded to a halt, and Jisung bumped into him, sending them both stumbling one step.

“She what?”

“That’s what her tracker says. Now, could you shut up and let me work to crack this?”

Chan nodded even though Changbin wouldn’t be able to see it.

“Absolutely.” He stated, expression grim, but at least his powers weren’t flaring uncontrollably.

“If I have to, I guess…” Jisung sighed, then proceeded to follow Chan again, this time down to the bay again. It was hard for him not to say anything, though, to not at least try to ease the atmosphere with his remarks, and he was about to open his mouth and give in to the temptation, when Changbin’s voice came over the intercom again.

“Guys, get out of there! Now! The other ship is coming in and oh my fuck the data says it is  _ humongous _ !” Changbin almost screeched.

“What?!” Chan yelled, picking up his pace.

“I managed to crack their system and- not important! Run, guys! Run! Oh shit, we are so fucked- Some of them are trying to break through the docking bridge! Chan!” Panic rang clearly in Changbin’s voice, and Chan took off at a run. Jisung followed, but he wasn’t used to running with the weight of the weapons he was carrying, so he just threw them off, one by one, as he tried to follow Chan.

“Bin! Are you alright?! Lock everything you can! Keep yourself safe! We’ll find a way to get in when we reach the ship!”

“I am! I am, but- Oh fuck, I can see the ‘aid’! Chan, Chan, Chanchanchan, this is bad news, really bad news! We are so,  _ so _ fucked!”

“Hang in there, Bin! We’re almost there! Jisung- Sung!”

Jisung stumbled down the hallway behind Chan, panting.

“I’m coming! I’m coming! Go ahead, clear the way! Help Binnie!”

Chan debated for a split second before running into the bay.

Soldiers were waiting along the walls, shooting at Chan, and Chan redirected the shots right back at them. There were a lot, but Chan held his own, until a loud voice rang through the bay!

“Stop! Immediately, or this rat here dies!”

Chan froze, seeing a flash of blue and then Jisung’s terrified face as he was lifted off his feet and dangled in a grip by the scruff of the neck of his suit, half a meter off the ground.

“Put. Him. Down!” Chan snarled between clenched teeth, but the soldier -Deputy Commander Erxeres, judging by the decorations of the uniform- holding him didn’t pay his words any mind.

“I don’t think so. Reign in your powers and surrender to us, or I’ll blast his head off his shoulders!”

Jisung swallowed as he felt the barrel of a plasma blaster press against his temple. Oh boy… At least he wouldn’t have time to register any pain as he died, he figured. The thing was just… He didn’t want to die!

Chan wasn’t reigning in his powers, though; he couldn’t. Jisung knew he couldn’t, they were out of Chan’s control, and seeing him in danger seemed to only snap them further out of his control.

Erxeres started pulling the trigger, halfway, charging the blast.

“Reign. In. Your. Powers!” She reiterated, slowly, and Jisung laughed nervously, high pitched and panic infused.

“He can’t, idiot! Not while you’re riling him up by threatening me!”

Erxeres tightened her grip on Jisung’s suit, to the point it started constricting his airflow dangerously.

“Chan! They’re almost in shooting distance, she’s trying to buy time, you have to get ou-”

Erxeres removed her blaster from Jisung’s temple to shoot at the intercom to cut Changbin’s warning off.

She fired in rapid succession, and one blast did hit the intercom, cutting Changbin off, while another hit the ceiling of the bay over them, one hit a wall somewhere behind Chan, a couple hit her, and another-

Another hit Jisung, who fell into the line of the shot as Erxeres let go of him after being hit.

“Jisung!” 

Chan’s voice seemed to echo in the bay; or maybe it was just in Jisung’s head, everything feeling off as the pain and energy from the blast hitting his chest spread through his body. He saw Chan running towards him, and felt himself being yanked forward by an invisible force, before he collided with Chan and his whole being seemed to combust in a giant, white hot flash of pain.

Chan’s powers were all over the place, the lights above them exploding as they were hit by them, the whole ship vibrating around them from their sheer force.

Jisung didn’t register Chan dragging him over to their ship, where several alarms were blaring, warning them that they were in the crosshairs of another ship.

More soldiers waited for them in their bay, trapped there by Changbin, and Chan’s powers tore them apart in no time.

“Chan! I can’t fly the ship like this! You need to calm down!” Changbin’s voice was distorted over the intercom, the energy flow on their own ship disturbed by Chan’s outburst, too.

“I can’t! Jisung’s shot” Chan all but roared, pain lacing his voice.

“Fuck! They’re shooting!” Changbin’s voice was what first registered again for Jisung, who was fading into a state of semi-consciousness as his body shut down the ability to feel pain in a state of shock, allowing him to register something else than agony again. 

The next thing he felt was the whole ship rocking as it was hit by a blast. And what a blast! It knocked them clear off the side of the Alliance ship, their docking bridge ripping off and an emergency airlock just so managing to keep them from being sucked out into space.

Chan scrambled to his feet next to him, but another blast hitting the ship threw him off his feet again. He screamed in frustration, and Jisung gasped as he was hit by a wave of Chan’s powers that made him slither over the floor of the bay.

That seemed to snap Chan out of it, and he managed to get to his feet, leaving the bay running.

Jisung grit his teeth, just as another blast hit the ship and he was thrown off his spot again, sliding in the opposite direction. He wanted to hold on to something, but for one, he was too weak, and also, there was nothing within reach. 

He closed his eyes, resigning to his fate as he felt his feet and hands get cold, and then quickly lost all sensibility in them. Another blast hit the ship, and he barely registered it as everything faded to black.

*#*#*#*

At the same time, Chan reached the bridge, yelling at Changbin to move out of the captain’s chair.

Changbin didn’t protest, jumping up and out of the way.

Chan didn’t really sit down, instead throwing himself over his control desk. His eyes glowed brighter than Changbin had ever seen them, along with his hands as they rested on the surface of the desk. Changbin could feel the wave of power rolling off Chan, but most of it seemed to flow into the desk. He had no idea what was happening at this point, only clinging to the nearest chair to not be thrown off his feet as the ship suddenly jolted. It hadn’t been hit by a blast, though, he could tell that much, so he assumed Chan must have moved it out of the way with his powers.

The same thing happened a few more times, before part of the rump of their ship exploded, and shortly after, a gigantic red fireball filled their field of vision outside the windshield of the bridge.

Changbin felt sick to his stomach, both from the lurching as well as the explosion -which must have taken out most of the lower decks, including the bay-, the smell of something burning, and the knowledge that-

“Jisung…!” He whimpered, tears springing to his eyes.

Chan shook his head, and a sob escaped Changbin.

“No. No, Bin…”

Changbin couldn’t help the tears running down his face, hoisting himself up to get to the doors of the bridge and try to find their youngest.

“Changbin, stay put!”

“I have to find Jisung!”

Changbin felt an invisible force rooting him in place.

“Chan! Let me go, right this second!” He yelled, angry, but Chan shook his head again, just as he made the ship lurch again, and then it was moving at a considerable speed. With a tiny part of his brain -the tiniest, really- Changbin wondered how, considering that their propulsors were shot, their steering jets were gone, the entire right wing was pulverized, and half their engine deck was floating through space in debris the size of his pinkie’s fingernail.

“I need you to stay put! I’m getting us out of here!”

“But Jisung-...!” Changbin yelled, but Chan yelled back.

“Jisung is fine!”

Changbin froze.

“Don’t lie to me!” He meant it as a threat, but he only managed to sound like he was begging.

“I’m not, Bin. I’m not, I promise. Jisung is safe. You can’t go to him right now, but he’s safe. He’s alive, and he’s safe.”

Changbin only managed to cry harder, and there were tears on Chan’s face, too.

It seemed to take forever, and Changbin didn’t know what Chan had been doing, but eventually, Chan let go of the control desk and stumbled towards Changbin.

“I’m sorry, Bin… I’m really sorry…”

Changbin’s heart seized.

“W-what for? Chan… Chan, what do you mean?!”

Chan hick-uped, wiping at his face.

“This… all this. You were right… I should have listened to you. I- I’m so sorry… I’ll… I’ll get Jisung…” He took a deep breath, starting past Changbin, and Changbin felt the grip of Chan’s powers lift from him. 

He still didn’t move from his spot, not until Chan was out of the doors, disappearing behind them. Only then did Changbin move, pulling himself up with the help of a chair, and staggered towards the control desk.

The whole desk was flashing with warnings, and Changbin’s heart almost stopped as he assessed the damage to the ship. There was barely anything left of it. The entire engine deck was gone. The bay was open. The galley had a leak, and of Chan’s cabin, only the door remained. It bordered on a miracle that they still had air to breathe and hadn’t been sucked into space yet.

The door to the bridge opened, and Chan reemerged, carrying Jisung in his arms. 

Jisung was unconscious, his form looking lifeless and oh so small and fragile in Chan’s arms.

Chan was infinitely gentle as he deposited Jisung into one of the chairs, lowering it into a nearly horizontal position.

“Sung!” Changbin breathed with a gasp, new tears springing to his eyes as he stumbled to his side, needing to make sure he was alive for himself.

Chan let him, understanding Changbin’s need to find proof that their youngest was still alive himself, but not for long.

“I need to heal him, Bin… Please, give me room…”

Changbin nodded, stepping back, albeit reluctantly.

Chan’s eyes glowed again as his hands settled on Jisung’s chest, though this time, not with the usual steel grey or silver that Changbin had gotten used to. This grey was bluer, almost purpleish. 

He didn’t know what Chan was doing, but as time passed, Jisung’s breaths became deeper, sounding easier, until his whole posture changed. He was still lying limply in the chair, but it no longer looked lifeless, but rather… relaxed.

Chan staggered a little when he finally stepped away from Jisung. He looked pale, worn-out, and tired in a way Changbin couldn’t describe, other than that it was more than a physical tiredness.

“I’ll… I’ll go see what I can grab from the-… From what’s left-... From downstairs…” Chan announced quietly, and Changbin took a step towards him.

“You need to rest, Chan… I can go.”

Chan shook his head, though.

“No. You stay with Sung. It’s too dangerous down there. I’ll go. We need… We need water. And something to eat...”

“There is a leak in the galley, Chan…”

Chan nodded.

“I know… I can handle it.”

Changbin had to stay back and watch as Chan left the bridge again, and with it, Changbin alone with his thoughts.

He didn’t know how much time had passed since Chan had left, when movement from Jisung pulled him out of the swirling depths of his mind.

“B-bin?”

Changbin jumped to his feet, hurrying to Jisung’s side.

“Sungie! Whoa, whoa! Easy there, slow down!” He stopped Jisung from trying to sit up, helping him instead by bringing the whole chair up.

“How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?”

Jisung shook his head no.

“I’m ok. Where’s Chan?”

Changbin gulped.

“Downstairs.”

Jisung nodded pensively.

“How bad is it?”

“How bad is what?”

“The ship.”

Changbin exhaled slowly, wincing.

“There isn’t much-... much left of this ship… I’m afraid not even you can fix this…”

“Can you show me?” Jisung tried to sit up further again, but Changbin pushed him down again.

“Sung, stop moving! You just had a huge hole in your chest!”

Jisung breathed slowly, deeply, as if to test his chest.

“It’s just a little bit sore, but that’s it. I assume Chan fixed me?”

Changbin nodded slowly, and Jisung hummed in appreciation as he looked down the front of his suit, which was still soaked in his own blood and sported a charred hole where he’d been hit by the blast.

“Wow, amazing…” He looked up again, at Changbin. “Please show me what’s wrong with our ship?”

Changbin sighed, sitting down on the captain’s chair and pulling up the holographic model of the ship. Jisung inhaled sharply, seeing all the red and-

“Black?”

Changbin nodded solemnly.

“That’s what’s gone of the ship. Completely.”

Jisung whistled lowly.

“Holy shit. We’re screwed… Is that-... Is that the bay?”

He pointed, and Changbin nodded.

“How the hell did I survive that?! I was right in there when I passed out…!”

“Airlock in the doorway to the upper deck.”

Both Jisung and Changbin turned around to see Chan standing in the door to the bridge, before coming in.

“How… How did I get there? I was over by the docking bridge…”

Chan shook his head.

“You don’t want to know. Trust me.”

Jisung gave Chan a long stare.

“You pulled me over with your powers. You triggered the airlock with your powers, too. And you got us out of there with your powers. Now, all that’s left to figure out, is… where are we?”

Chan sighed quietly.

“The inner asteroid belt of the Seissal system.”

“Ah, at least we’re still in Seissal- wait, did you say  _ inner _ belt?”

Chan nodded quietly.

“Holy  _ crap _ !” Jisung whistled lowly.

Chan sighed.

“We’re hiding. There isn’t much else I could do… We need to land somewhere, very soon, but I don’t have the strength right now that it would take to keep us from burning up in the atmosphere of a planet… I need to rest first. Here, these… these are all I could salvage. Make sure to rationalize them, it might take a while before I can get us to a planet.”

Changbin and Jisung stared at the scarce water and food rations Chan had managed to bring in.

“Channie… You need to eat and drink, too… Probably more than us, since you’re our only hope of ever landing somewhere safely.”

Chan shook his head, though.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood, Sung. You eat up first. And you, too, Binnie, you haven’t eaten almost anything at all the last few days.”

They wanted to protest, and they did, but Chan would have none of it. And so, Changbin and Jisung ended up eating, while Chan sat and stared at whatever the screen of the control desk was showing him.

One by one, they ended up falling asleep, too. Jisung first, shortly followed by Changbin. Chan managed to stay awake longer, working on securing what was left of the ship, but ultimately, the exhaustion won over and he collapsed more than fell asleep, too.

*#*#*#*

Chan woke up from the insistent beeping of an alarm in his ears. He was disoriented at first, wanting nothing more than the insistent noise to shut up, so he slapped randomly at the alarm notification, effectively managing to get the noise to stop. Exhausted, he slouched back across the desk, and he would have fallen asleep again if not for-

“Attention: touchdown in T minus five minutes!”

_ That _ managed to punch the sleep right out of him, having him sit straight upright to frantically try and find out what was going on.

It didn’t take him long to find out they were caught in a tractor beam.

“Holy smokes… What in the  _ fuck _ ! _ ”  _ He breathed, tracking the origin of the tractor beam.

The ship it belonged to… It was at least one hundred times bigger than even Erxeres’ ship. And the beam…

“Chan? What’s going on?” Jisung pulled him out of his thoughts.

“We’re being honed in… This ship… It’s gigantic. I don’t know if I can…”

He didn’t finish, instead focusing on trying to use his powers to get out of the tractor beam.

It worked, for a moment. But then the beam followed them, honing in on them again, and the journey to the big mothership continued.

“Fuck!” Chan cursed, trying again, but with the same result.

Chan cursed again, but before he could try again, a pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist.

“Stop, Chan. There is no use. You’re only hurting yourself.” Jisung whispered in his ear, holding him close. 

As if to prove Jisung’s point, Changbin appeared next to him, dabbing at Chan’s neck with the sleeve of his suit before showing him the dark soaked material.

“Your ears are bleeding. And so is your nose. It’s ok, Chan. Don’t hurt yourself any more.”

Tears sprang to Chan’s eyes, and he shook his head.

“I have to… I have to try…!”

Jisung’s grip tightened on him, just as the computer warned again.

“Attention: T minus two minutes until touchdown.”

“You don’t, Chan. Stop. Please. It’s over. There is nothing we can do… Even if we could escape… Where could we even go, with this ship?”

Chan swallowed thickly. Jisung was right.

He hugged Jisung back, and Changbin too, who was standing by close enough.

“I’m so sorry… So sorry… I- I failed you. I should have listened to you, Bin. I should-... I’m sorry. I’ll try- try everything to get them to spare you two, I promise.”

He felt a hand in his hair, and he didn’t know whose it was, but he leaned into the touch all the same.

“It’s ok, Chan. We don’t blame you. We understand. And we’re fine. We knew what we were getting into, staying with you. We knew this would happen eventually. It’s ok.” Jisung tried to reassure Chan.

“No-... No! This isn’t right! You two… You are so young, and you’ve had such crappy lives, you deserve better!You deserve so much more! So, so much! You can’t just- This can’t just-... No!”

Changbin sighed quietly.

“We don’t want this to be our end, either, Chan… But… If it has to be, we’re fine with that. We’ve had the best time of our lives with you, and we wouldn’t exchange it for the entire universe. It was an honour to fight with you, by your side. And we’ll face whatever consequences await us, by your side, too.”

Chan shook his head again.

“I’ll try to get you out of this. I-I’ll tell them you are my slaves or something, that you had no voluntary part in any of what I did, that you are innocent-”

“Don’t you dare, Chan!” Jisung almost growled, pulling back out of the hug enough to glare at Chan.

“I am not going back into slavery. I’d rather die!”

“Jisung…”

“Jisung’s right. We’re going to stand by your side in this, Chan, and if you go down, we do, too.”

Chan’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, fuck off, you two… You are so stupid!”

Jisung chuckled wryly, hugging Chan tightly.

“We love you, too, Channie.”

Chan swallowed thickly.

“You’re idiots. Total morons. And yes, I love you! So much! And I’m so sorry!”

“Attention: Touchdown in ten… nine… eight… seven…”

Chan’s hold on Jisung and Changbin tightened, and they waited with bated breath as the countdown drew to an end, until the ship set down with a bang, none too gently, and everything tilted. Chan used his powers to keep them all in their spot, unharmed, and then they waited again, listening as the locks to their remaining doors were broken open, including the one to the bridge, eventually.

A uniformed man with a blaster aimed at them appeared in the doorway, surveying them, before he lowered his blaster.

“Captain Bang Chan?” he asked, looking at the three figures huddled together behind the control desk.

Chan stood up slowly, unable to resist pushing Jisung and Changbin slightly behind him to shield them from any possible blasts.

“That’s me.”

The man nodded.

“You and your crew, please follow me. Captain Kim Woojin wishes to talk to you.”

Chan swallowed thickly, but he felt two hands slipping into his own, one on each side, squeezing them encouragingly.

“Together.”

Chan squeezed back, before straightening his spine even further, his head held high as he stepped towards the man, and towards an uncertain future, with the best crew he could have ever wished for.

“Together.”


	5. Tavirans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has SO much dialogue, I am so sorry... But it's necessary...

Technically, they knew their ship was in a bad shape. That didn’t prepare them to what they saw when they actually stepped off the ship, though. It was little more than a smoldering clump of dented metal, and lumps formed in their throats. For one, it hit home just how close they had come to being blasted into oblivion; and to Chan… this ship was all he had left that he had been able to call home. Now, even that was gone.

Resolutely, Chan turned away, unable to stand the sight anymore, and followed the soldier that had come to pick them up from their ship, and quickly Changbin and Jisung joined him again.

They were led through sheer endless hallways, or so it felt to Chan. More than once, he wanted to just stop and lay down right then and there, in the middle of whatever hallway they were in, and sleep; for a very, very long time, if possible. Of course, he didn’t, though. He had the other two to protect and stand up for, he would not let them down, even if it cost him his last breath.

His resolution dwindled with every step they took, though, but thankfully, the soldier eventually stopped, opening a door and indicating them to go inside.

Chan didn’t know what he had been expecting, but a comfortable looking small conference room that could almost double as a cozy lounge certainly wasn’t it.

“Have a seat. Captain Kim Woojin will be with you shortly.” The soldier indicated before closing the door behind them.

“I’m so confused right now… This doesn’t really look like an interrogation room, does it? And shouldn’t they have separated us if they were going to interrogate us?” Jisung wondered in a hushed voice, but Chan had no explanation, either.

“I don’t make it a habit to know those kinds of things. I sure am glad they didn’t try to separate us yet… As long as I can do anything about that, I won’t allow it, anyway.”

Changbin sighed quietly.

“Chan, you shouldn’t fight anymore… You’re already hurt…”

Chan didn’t answer to that, but they all knew that Changbin’s words fell on deaf ears and that Chan would fight anyway if he felt he had to to protect them from anyone.

“Will it be ok if we do sit down like the guy suggested? I’m feeling kind of woozy…” Jisung wondered again, and Chan nodded.

“Let’s. I don’t see the point in standing around here for who knows how long…”

The chairs around the round table in the middle of the room were comfortable, almost resembling armchairs, and they sank into them gratefully. It might not have been a long time that they were left to wait, but it felt like it to Chan, who quickly felt his eyelids drooping after sitting down in the comfortable chair.

“These chairs are too comfortable for an enemy. And we are their enemy, right? Who even are  _ they _ ?” Jisung continued musing, eliciting a soft sigh from Chan.

“I don’t know, Sung…”

“We’ve been with you the entire time, Sung, and have the same amount of information as you do…” Changbin reminded him patiently, and Jisung quieted down for just a moment.

“I really wonder who that Kim Woojin is and what he wants from us... This isn’t an Alliance ship, is it? There are no Alliance coats of arms anywhere. One thing I know from Alliance ships is that there isn’t a single speck of dust without a coat of arms on them. Same on government ships. But this ship is huge, it won’t belong to just any privateer, and those who could afford a ship like this are usually full enough of themselves that they’ll at least have their initials embossed everywhere. There is  _ nothing _ in here, though… But, maybe it’s just this room?  Still, not even the soldier or guard or whatever had any coat of arms or logo on him, did he? Or have you seen anything on the way here?”

Chan shook his head tiredly, leaving it to Changbin to respond again.

“No, nothing. I guess we’ll find out soon enough, though, Sung…”

Jisung made another small pause, but just as he was about to speak again, voices from the other side of the door cut him off.

“I’ll be  _ fine _ . I want to talk to them alone, without you. No, you go back to your quarters, I don’t want any of you eavesdropping on us. Don’t even think about it, I’ll have Seungmin make sure no one is lurking and if I find out any of you did, we’ll have problems!”

“Sir, it’s not  _ safe _ -”

“I know it isn’t, but if they want me any harm there is nothing anyone on this ship can do to protect me from it anyway. But I got this, guys! Just go!” 

For a few moments there was only silence, and then the lock clicked and the door opened.

Whatever they had expected to come through that door, this wasn’t it. Not the young, serious but friendly looking guy in a casual suit that resembled their own (minus the blood splatters and holes that still decorated Jisung and Chan’s), who unceremoniously sat down in the next best chair around the table and exhaled tiredly, going as far as closing his eyes for a few seconds as if they weren’t even there.

He recomposed himself quickly, though, sitting up again.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting. My name is Kim Woojin. I’m sure you were told that already, though…” He sighed.

Chan made an effort to sit up straighter, not saying anything at first and waiting for the other to continue. When he didn’t, he cleared his throat, though, asking what they were all wondering.

“Why are we here?”

Kim Woojin blinked, surprise on his face before it morphed to understanding.

“Why-... Oh, of course. Well. We saw your ship -or what was left of it- unmaneuverable but with three life signatures still on it, and I decided to pick you up.” 

Chan’s gaze narrowed just slightly, even as Jisung and Changbin seemed to relax somewhat in the seats next to his.

“So nice of you. And what’s the long version of the story?”

Woojin’s eyes widened the tiniest fraction, but Chan didn’t miss it.

“What makes you think there is a long version?”

“The fact that we were hiding in the rubble of a massive asteroid belt in the middle of a system with eight stars, which is known to be tricky to navigate with even a small ship. This ship, however, is massive, and if you try to tell me you were just so casually hanging out in the same part of said asteroid belt with this mammoth of a ship for fun, I am going to rip that lying tongue out of your mouth before you can even finish speaking.”

A flash of fear sparked in Kim Woojin’s eyes for the fraction of a second, but he hid it quickly.

“Well, I suppose you got me there. No, we are not hanging out here for fun. Truth is, we’ve been waiting for you.”

That information didn’t appease Chan at all. 

“You were waiting for us.”

“Yes.”

“Here.”

“Yes. Well, actually, my prediction put you a little further towards the third star of Seissal, which is why it took us a few hours to get to you. I didn’t take into account how much time and strength you’d lose if one of you got injured, since you usually don’t miss, and how that would affect your end position.”

Chan’s eyes were narrowed to slits, and the boys sitting next to him could feel the air around them charging with Chan’s snapping powers. Hesitantly, Changbin reached out, placing a hand on Chan’s arm and squeezing it comfortingly.

“Chan… don’t.” He pleaded softly, and Chan succeeded in reigning his powers in a little.

“You better explain yourself, in detail, real soon. I’ve had a really crappy twenty four hours, and I don’t have a lot of patience left.” Chan growled lowly, and Woojin nodded, seemingly impassive.

“I was going to. Hmm, where do I start?”

“How about you start telling us how you knew we’d be here?” Chan made it sound like a suggestion, but it was obvious Woojin recognized it as the order it was.

“Ok. I’ll have to backtrack a little for that to make sense. So… For starters, I’m Taviran. Half Taviran, to be exact, but my powers work as if I was full Taviran.”

Chan had to dig a little in his tired brain before he remembered the specifics of the Taviran species. They were one of the species the Alliance worked hard to extinguish, their original home planet having been wiped out over a century ago. Contrary to Beire, it’s population was quite travel-happy, though, and many escaped the wipe-out back then, the species surviving until this day due to its dominant genes and the difficulty to recognize them at a glance.

Contrary to Atalaians with their bright coloured hair and eyes, or Beirans with their pale skin, light coloured hair and eyes that glowed in different shades of grey and silver, emitting a faint light of their own whenever they just so much as tapped into their powers, Taviran’s had nothing that outwardly distinguished them from most other humanoid species but their powers. And since those almost never affected their surroundings but were restricted to their cognitive abilities, they rarely betrayed them, either.

“And your powers are?” Chan prompted, also remembering that there were no two Taviran’s that shared the same set of powers.

“Strategies.” Woojin answered readily. “I can figure out the most complex and detailed strategies, run through every possible outcome of every single step, figure out every possible solution for every eventuality, and then narrow it down to the most likely outcome by incorporating as much relevant data as I can get access to, with there being no limit to how much data I can incorporate. That goes for strategies that I work out myself as well as understanding the strategies of others.”

Chan had to admit he wasn’t quite able to grasp the magnitude of the power Woojin had, but he was sure it was not insignificant.

“How does that correlate to you waiting here for us?”

“I am getting there. So, my dear father, whom I owe this heritage and with it my powers to, happens to be The Kim Hyunsuk, leader of the second division of the Rebellion Against the Alliance -the name is lame, I know, but it wasn’t me who came up with it.

”Anyway, he’s also decided that he has to try to guarantee the survival of the Taviran species all by himself, making me the second youngest of twenty-eight siblings, all of which he expects to become captains of their own crews flying if not for the Rebellion, at least against the Alliance. And now, my turn has come to build a crew. 

“It just so happens that despite me being an excellent strategist, I absolutely suck at leading anyone in anything, which seriously impairs me in the become-the-captain-of-a-ship-and-crew department. That’s just not going to happen. But, that is also not something my father will accept, so I had to come up with a compromise. I’ve decided I would try to join an already established crew, one that doesn’t fly for my father already, offering my services as strategist in turn for them lying to my father and pretending that I was their captain whenever he, one of my siblings I’m not close with or someone else working for him ask. 

“This led me to scrutinizing the known universe in search of non-Alliance-friendly crews of rogues that could become possible candidates for me to join. Unfortunately, most fell through upon even just inspection from afar. Others rejected the idea. And others again I haven’t even been able to contact yet. 

“To be honest with you, you were one of the crews I ruled out almost instantly, too. I still kept coming across mentions of you everywhere I looked, though, and without intending to, my powers started working on finding out what the strategy behind your attacks on Alliance ships was. I couldn’t really discern one, and until recently assumed you didn’t have one, attacking randomly whatever Alliance vessel was closest and within reasonable size considering the size of your own ship and crew. 

“That was, until I discovered the Alliance had started developing a counter-strategy to your non-existent one, one designed to trap you and eliminate you. I considered warning you, but I figured you would not listen to a random stranger. Intercepting you would also not have gone well and without losses on our side and damage to the ship. So I focused on gathering as much information as possible to figure out what exactly the Alliance was planning, observing your reactions, and based on that, figuring out where you would end up after the confrontation to pick you up.”

A moment of silence passed as the three took Woojin’s words in.

“I feel like you could have said all that with far less words, you know…” Jisung was the first to speak, mumbling more to himself than the rest of the room, but everyone heard him anyway.

“So… You basically stalked us because you wanted to join our crew, then let us run into a trap because you didn’t think you’d have been able to talk to us as long as we’d have been able to fight?” Changbin concluded, and Woojin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“How the hell did you come to  _ that _ conclusion? I didn’t  _ stalk _ you! I literally just told you that information about you was everywhere without me even looking for it, and that I didn’t consciously try to figure out your strategy. It was only after I realized you were on your way into the trap that I started looking up information about your situation on purpose to be able to  _ help  _ you!”

“Why did you want to help us?” Chan’s voice was quiet and carefully neutral, holding neither the confused annoyance of Jisung’s or accusing coldness of Changbin’s, yet it sounded all the more dangerous because of it.

Woojin didn’t seem like he’d been expecting that question, either, but he remained surprisingly collected.

“You’ve been fighting the Alliance and been enough of a pain in their ass for them to be willing to sacrifice one of their own commanders to get you. You are too valuable an ally to let you get killed.”

“Who said I am an ally? I have my own agenda.”

Woojin shrugged lightly.

“Your agenda is anti-Alliance, that makes you an ally pretty much automatically.”

“What did you mean when you said the Alliance was willing to sacrifice one of their own commanders to get to us?” Changbin interrupted before Chan could jab back at Woojin in some way. 

Woojin’s focus wandered from Chan to Changbin for a moment, but when he spoke it looked like he was addressing Chan more than Changbin again.

“Deputy Commander Erxeres. She was deemed expendable after she spoke up against the wipeout of Beire. Kind of ironic that the Alliance chose to get rid of her through you, to be honest.”

Chan felt his heart sink at that information. 

“What?”

Woojin tilted his head questioningly.

“What ‘what’? What she became expendable, what she spoke up against the wipeout, or what?”

Chan shook his head.

“All of it.”

Woojin thought about it for a moment.

“Do you want to hear the full plan the Alliance worked out?”

Chan nodded, just once, ignoring Jisung who rolled his eyes, leaned back in his seat and murmured a quiet “Here we go. I’m sure this’ll take a while.”

Woojin ignored him too, clearing his throat before launching into the explanation.

“So, first of all… That ship you picked up that tipped you off on Erxeres. That was the first step. It wasn’t there just because, it was sent there in hopes you’d raid it. The crew didn’t know about that, of course, they were actually instructed to go join Erxeres. 

“They planted the information about Erxeres in hopes you’d find it and go after her, as well as the information that there’d be a second ship joining her. That was purely there to distract you, get you to focus on trying to find out more about it instead of digging into Erxeres; they couldn’t risk you finding out she had actually stood up against the wipeout, and give up on your quest to destroy her. There was no second ship scheduled to join her, though, even if that was what she’d been told, too. 

“There was, however, a ship on standby, waiting for you to be engaged in fight with Erxeres on her ship to attack and destroy both your and what was left of Erxeres’ ship. The plan was to get rid of both you and the commander, while blaming you for her death after they sadly didn’t arrive in time to save her, but just in time to finally eliminate you.”

Chan’s jaw was set in a grim line, while Jisung’s eyes had widened in incredulity, and Changbin looked straight up offended.

“Those bastards… I should have known it! Of course I wouldn’t be able to find out information about a ship that didn’t  _ exist _ , I should have  _ known _ something was off!” 

Chan’s rigid posture relaxed somewhat and he turned to Changbin, taking one of his hands into his own and squeezing it comfortingly.

“You did know, Bin. You tried to warn me.”

Changbin exhaled slowly.

“I still should have known better… Should have figured out what it was  _ exactly _ that was off…” 

Chan patted his hand, keeping it in his a moment longer, but didn’t say anything else to him.

“So the Alliance played us and made me kill innocents.” He stated, but Woojin shook his head.

“Yes, and no. They played you, yes. Erxeres wasn’t completely innocent, though. Nor was her crew. They might not have liked it, but they did side with the Alliance and followed their orders. And it wasn’t the first time.”

Chan shook his head, not agreeing with Woojin, but for now didn’t argue. He didn’t need this man’s input on what he felt, or how he should feel.  

“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is… The Alliance’s strategy worked out, almost to perfection. So did yours. We are in your hands. What do you want from us, now?”

Chan could feel Changbin and Jisung tense up next to him, but there wasn’t much he could to to reassure them as he stared down Woojin.

“Well, that is up to you, really.”

Chan bristled.

“Don’t bullshit me. You are a master strategist, there is no way you don’t have something in mind with us here!”

Woojin sighed quietly.

“I didn’t say that. I said it’s up to you, not that there aren’t a few options planned out that you’ll eventually have to choose from.”

Once again, Chan’s powers began to flare, just the slightest bit out of control. Anyone who wasn’t Jisung or Changbin would probably have missed it.

“And those options are…?” Chan prompted, his voice eerily calm yet carrying an undertone that promised the wrath of hell if none of the options Woojin was about to present were to his satisfaction.

“Well-...” Woojin started, but was interrupted by the door opening without warning.

To Chan’s surprise, the expression on Woojin’s face soured really quickly, anger flaring as he turned towards the door with what looked like full intent on chewing the hell out of whoever had opened that door. Yet, as soon as Woojin realized who’d stepped into the room, his features softened as quickly as they had hardened, and his voice held a gentleness in it as he spoke to the newcomer that spoke volumes about where he stood in his consideration.

“Hey, Min. How did it go?”

The newcomer, a boy that looked younger than any of the present ones, stepped further into the room and took a seat next to Woojin. He didn’t address Woojin as he answered, though, but Chan.

“Our mechanics went over your ship to see what we could do to help with it, but I’m afraid there isn’t much we can do. There might be a few parts that can be salvaged or used as spare parts, but the vast majority is unsalvageable. According to them, what is left shouldn’t even be used as base for a reconstruction, since it is so bent and destabilized. If you want, we can run a backup on all your files and computer systems, though; provided you deactivate the encryption and self destruction triggers beforehand. Our computer techs are positive they have never seen such masterfully crafted codes and are staying far away from them for the time being.”

Chan blinked rapidly, processing the information the boy was giving them. Truth be told, he’d kind of figured that there was no way to save his ship himself, but the information about the codes was new to him, and he looked at Changbin for guidance. 

Changbin looked a little sheepish under Chan’s scrutiny.

“I encoded all our logs and information about us and the ship as well as our funds so they won’t be accessible from the outside, unless I deactivate the codes. Should anyone try, there are tripwires everywhere that would trigger the destruction of the data on the ship should there be no defense coming from there, as well as infect whatever system those trying to snoop around in our business are working from with malware that would bring their system to collapse on itself, self-destructing, too.”

Chan whistled lowly, pride shining in his eyes as he gave Changbin an approving look.

“I never even thought of that… Well done, Binnie!”

Changbin smiled tentatively, and Chan smiled back softly for the briefest moment.

“I suppose you’re not at a point in your negotiations yet where the deactivation of those codes becomes an option…” Woojin’s… friend? stated, his gaze knowingly flitting between the gathered people. “Go ahead, then, keep negotiating. I’ll just…” He got up, moving towards what looked like a small bar in the back of the room. “Anyone want some kind of drink? Food? No? Alright.” He himself took a bottle of a light blue shimmering drink out from behind the small counter, sipping at it, before rummaging around again and producing what looked like a bag of dried fruit and nuts of some sort. He seemed completely unbothered by the situation in the room, retaking his seat next to Woojin while sipping his drink and munching the contents of the bag.

Woojin looked only mildly bothered by the younger’s antics, more like his behaviour was something he had had to get used to a long time ago than like something that bothered him right now, specifically, and he ignored him, focusing back on Chan.

“So, where was I… Ah! Your options. Well, one of them was actually we let you stay and help you rebuild your ship so you can go on your merry way and keep being a pain in the ass to the Alliance. But it looks like that one is no longer on the table. So… another option is that you join the Rebellion and either join an existing crew or lease a ship from my father…”

Chan scoffed quietly.

“Join the Rebellion… A rebellion of which I had never even heard before and therefore know nothing about. Sure. What even is the objective of this Rebellion… other than being against the Alliance?”

Woojin winced slightly, while his snack-munching companion chuckled quietly.

“The objective of this rebellion is to eventually overthrow the corrupt Alliance and replace it with a ruling system that consists of representatives from all species, under which no species faces discrimination from another, no species has to live in fear because they are different or have powers that set them apart, or live in slavery because they are weaker and can’t defend themselves against other, more powerful species. The goal is a union of all planets where all sentient species are equals.”

“Sounds like a pipe dream to me. Many planets don’t even manage to build up a system like that for the few species populating a single planet. Never mind trying to get that done with all the species from all the planets in the known universe!” Jisung interjected, shaking his head.

The boy next to Woojin chuckled, pointing at Jisung with a nut that he held poised between two fingers.

“I like you.” He stated, before eating the nut and earning a slightly exasperated look from Woojin for it.

“We’re managing quite well to uphold a system like that within this Rebellion, actually, and as far as I know there are quite a few planets who support us in this quest already. Of course, we aren’t anywhere near close to success with any part of our plans yet, and it could still take decades until we get to reap the first fruits of our efforts, but there will only ever be fruits if we keep making those efforts.”

“Ew, Wooj, you sound just like dad…” The boy commented at the end of Woojin’s speech, clueing Chan, Jisung and Changbin in that he might be one of Woojin’s mentioned numerous siblings.

Woojin just sighed at the comment, rolling his eyes.

“Whatever. Old man is known to speak sense quite often, after all.”

The younger made a face as if he’d bitten into a particularly bitter fruit.

“As long as it doesn’t affect his bloodline, maybe…” He muttered, and Woojin gave him a look that spoke of shared pain even to the outsiders.

Chan cleared his throat, interrupting the siblings’ moment.

“I don’t see myself joining a rebellion whose objective, although noble in concept, has such questionable odds, looks quite untransparent to me and which I know so little about. Nor do I feel like submitting to anyone to have my every move dictated. As I said before, I have my own agenda.”

Woojin nodded slowly, and for some reason, he didn’t look disappointed, even though he had clearly tried to win Chan over and seemed to believe in the Rebellion’s cause. He must have suspected that Chan wouldn’t consider that option.

“Out of curiosity: what is your agenda?” The younger brother piped up again, and surprisingly enough, Chan felt like humoring him.

“Avenging my people by destroying as many Alliance ships and crews as possible.”

“That sounds… Not like much of a plan, but a solid plan nonetheless, surprisingly. And you’re all in with the same reasoning?” He looked at Jisung and Changbin.

“I go where Chan goes. I don’t have people to avenge, but I don’t want to go back into slavery, and it’s always nice to fuck with those who support the slaver-system.” Jisung supplied readily, and Changbin nodded in agreement.

“Couldn’t have said it better.”

“And… You’re all happy with that? Just that?” Woojin spoke up again.

“What is that supposed to mean?” The defensiveness in Chan’s tone actually made Woojin sit up a bit straighter in his chair, ready to defend himself, too.

“I meant… I was wondering if that was all you strive for. Just destroying a few Alliance ships, or even a few more, just for the heck of destroying them. I know you said you’re out for revenge, but… If we’re going to be honest, the ships you’ve destroyed so far were all pretty small, except for Erxeres’. You might have become a nuisance to the Alliance like that, one they tried to get rid of while also disposing of another problem of their own, but… You’re not exactly making an impact with the way you are operating.”

Chan grit his teeth, Woojin’s words grating at him. He knew it was the truth, knew it well and had considered it quite a few times himself, but there was nothing he could do about it. Even just a small impact was better than nothing for what he had gone through; for what had been done to his people.

“I can’t exactly go after the big fish with a ship and crew as small as mine, now can I. And I didn’t really get to choose what kind of ship I was stranded on after my planet was turned inside out in front of my eyes.” He bit out between clenched teeth, and although his flaring powers sent shivers that rose the hair on their arms over Changbin and Jisung, Jisung still reached out to place a hand on Chan’s knee, grounding him.

“I wasn’t criticizing you. I am just curious why you’ve never kept one of the ships that were bigger than yours after taking them over. You could have worked your way up like that.”

“I will not commandeer a ship that has been used to inflict pain and suffering on the innocent before. Only bad spirits live on a ship like that, and I want nothing to do with that.”

“Fair enough…” Woojin conceded easily.

“Why does it matter to you, anyway?”

“It matters because depending on what your goals are, more of the options I can give you will fall away. Since your goal is to keep avenging your people, you won’t be happy to stay and work on this ship, nor with being set down on a planet somewhere; never mind that the planets where we could set you down safely are scarce, considering you are a wanted criminal, too. If you want to keep flying, you need a ship. I am sure you have enough credits set aside to buy a ship by now, if your records with the Alliance are anything to go by, but you’d need not just any ship, but a fighter of some kind. And you won’t find those just up for grabs on any planet. At this point, even ships as small and with as light weaponry as yours are as good as impossible to come by out there.”

Chan grit his teeth.

“So what is that option you’ve clearly saved for last because you want me to chose it?”

Woojin didn’t look comfortable with being put on the spot like that, and he wasn’t quite able to mask his nervousness: not to Chan, who could actually feel it with how his powers were saturating the room.

“Well… I told you about my objective to find a crew to join instead of building and leading my own…”

Chan understood.

“And now you are proposing I take you into my crew in exchange for a ship.”

Woojin forced himself not to squirm.

“In essence, yes.”

Chan nodded slowly.

“I thought you had ruled me and my crew out from the beginning.”

“I had.”

“What makes you change your mind now?”

“I learned more about you.”

“Then you must have learned that I am a ruthless killer. What leads you to believe I won’t just kick you out of an airlock and hightail with your ship as soon as we’re space-borne?”

Woojin took a slightly deeper breath than before, and Chan almost felt bad for him. Almost. He would have actually felt bad for him if he hadn’t been maneuvered into a corner himself. And if his day hadn’t sucked so much until this point, and left him with more ability to care. Now he was just too tired to have any patience or compassion left.

“I don’t believe you’re as ruthless a killer as you claim to be. I could tell you felt guilty about having killed Erxeres and her crew the moment you thought them to have been innocent. I don’t think you’d kill me for petty theft. And besides, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk my life just like that. I’ll never be able to disappear from my father’s radar completely, nor will any ship of his, and as distant and crappy as a father he might be, he will have the ass of anyone who harms any one of his children. And he wields a set of powers not even you would want to cross.”

Chan didn’t appreciate the threat, but to be fair, he had proposed a similar threat himself, just now. He also didn’t appreciate that this was indeed his last option if he wanted to keep having a ship to fly, and not just any ship, but one he could fight with. That was not Woojin’s fault, though. And if he was honest with himself, an offer like Woojin’s was too good to pass up without consideration, in his situation…

“One thing you should have learned about me while observing me is that I am also known to be a headass that doesn’t always think things through, and that I tend to be quite reckless.  _ Especially _ when I don’t know exactly what the consequences of my actions will be. So, don’t bank too hard on me not wanting to risk crossing your father. However, you are right in assuming I wouldn’t just kill you to steal your ship.”

Chan was certain he didn’t imagine the expression of relief flitting across Woojin’s face, and his younger brother finally resumed snacking on the dried fruit again after having stopped when the atmosphere between the two older ones became too tense.

“Before I so much as even consider the option you are offering, I want to know  _ exactly _ what the specifics are, though. And I’ll need  _ you _ to know exactly what you would be getting into.”

Woojin nodded.

“I do know what I’d be getting into. I know your head-count, and your methods. And rest assured that that is not news for me. It is pretty much the same as what is expected of me and my siblings, too.”

“Your father sounds like a total darling; yikes…” Jisung piped up from next to Chan, and silently, Chan agreed. He’d have to know more specifics about this Rebellion fraction leader before he agreed to whatever other terms Woojin proposed to him. But first, he would hear Woojin’s terms. The rest would come later.

“If that is the case, then let’s hear what your conditions are. I want to know all the catches and implications.”

Woojin adjusted in his seat, nodding.

“Alright. Well, the first one is that I join your crew, obviously. I don’t want your position as captain, I can do a number of other things, aside from developing and analyzing strategies. Navigating, route-planning, gunning, precision and escape maneuvers, things like that.”

“We can do all of that ourselves, between me and Chan, though…” Changbin interjected, but to everyone’s surprise, Jisung huffed at him.

“You may be able to, but consider this concept: you actually get some  _ sleep _ while someone else is doing those tasks in your stead, and you don’t have to strain your powers to accomplish those tasks.”

Changbin went to retort, but Chan cut him off.

“We’ll discuss the pros and cons later, guys. For now, let’s listen.”

Woojin looked almost grateful.

“As I was saying, I don’t want the position as captain; the whole point of me joining a crew is me not needing to be captain. However, we’d have to  _ pretend _ I’m actually the captain whenever we interact with my father, or people who report to him.”

Chan wasn’t sure if he liked that. He wasn’t attached to the title of captain, he just didn’t like answering to anyone, not anymore. But that was a point to discuss later, in case none of the other conditions caused him not to consider the deal.

“You mentioned that before. What else is there?”

“You don’t have to answer directly to my father, and can make independent choices in pretty much everything you do, without his interference. But, should we happen upon information that could be of use for him and the Rebellion’s plans, we are supposed to relay it to him. In turn, we’ll have access to all the other information other’s have gathered.”

That didn’t sound too bad.

“I’ll have to check in with him every now and then, too. Mostly to let him know I’m still alive…”

“In person or will holo do?”

“Holo will do, most of the time. But in person, too, every now and then.”

“What frequency are we talking about?”

“About once every half a universal year, more or less.”

Chan nodded to himself. That should be doable, too. There was something he needed clarified, though.

“You mentioned that neither you nor any ship of your father’s will ever disappear from his radar. Does that mean that he tracks you, and your ship?”

Woojin shook his head.

“No. Well, not really. He has ways to track the ship, I suppose, but he has more to do than randomly track my whereabouts. What I meant is more… He has spies  _ everywhere _ . So, wherever I show up, he has ways to find out.”

“But he has tracking on the ship.”

“Yes. If he chooses to do so, he can track it.”

“What if we disabled it?”

“If he finds out, he’ll set his spy network into motion to find us, and if he finds out anything he doesn’t like, he’ll have your balls pickled.”

“What a sweetheart…” 

Chan rolled his eyes at Jisung’s comment, but chose to ignore it otherwise.

“And if we… ‘confuse’ the tracker, so it shows us in a random place in the universe, one that is not where we actually are? I cannot stand the thought of having someone be able to track my every movement, you know…”

“As long as he hears from me and thinks he can track me, there should be no problem with that. How do you confuse a tracker, though?”

At that, Changbin chuckled quietly, without any humor.

“Leave that to me…”

Woojin didn’t seem a hundred percent comfortable with the idea of being completely hidden from his father, at the mercy of complete strangers, somewhere in the depths of the universe, but that was a risk he had to consider, and not Chan. Chan had to find out what it was that Woojin was nervous to ask, the possible dealbreaker.

“That is not all, though, is it.” He prompted, and Woojin swallowed thickly; the first truly obvious sign of his discomfort.

“No. There is one more thing.”

“Alright.”

Woojin’s eyes flit to his brother for a split second before returning to Chan.

“Aside from me, Seungmin will have to join your crew, too.”

Chan frowned.

“And who’s Seungmin?”

“That would be me.” Woojin’s brother spoke up.

Chan rose an eyebrow at that, studying Seungmin where he sat. To his credit, the kid didn’t flinch or tense under his scrutiny, merely continuing to eat his fruits and nuts while meeting Chan’s gaze calmly.

“Do I get to know why?” Chan asked, directing the question to both brothers.

“Because Wooj is a protective mother-hen and he won’t leave me behind alone, since that would mean I’d have to go live with our father.” Seungmin answered before Woojin could get a word out.

“Considering what I’ve gathered about your father’s charming personality, that seems reasonable…” Jisung remarked, and Chan silently agreed, but he had to dig further.

“Why would you have to live with your father? What about your mother? Or other siblings?”

Seungmin shrugged.

“My mother died giving birth to me. Woojin’s mother raised me, and since her passing, Woojin’s taken over. I’m not close to any other of our siblings.”

Chan winced, momentarily thinking about his own mother.

“Sorry about that… So, that is your last condition?” He directed at Woojin once again.

Woojin nodded.

“Yes.”

“No other catches?”

“No. Those are all the conditions on my part.”

Chan nodded pensively.

“I’m not going to make a decision now. I want to think about it, discuss it with my crew, and then discuss any other questions and concerns that might arise with you later, including more information about what kind of ship we’re talking about, before I give you my verdict.”

Woojin nodded again.

“But you’ll consider it?”

“I will.”

Relief seemed to flood Woojin.

“Thank you. I’ll show you to our guest quarters, then, so you can rest and discuss and consider in peace. You can use the links there to contact me at any time, I’ll give you my personal ID. There is no rush on my part, though.”

“Very generous, but I’d rather stay on what’s left of my ship during our stay here. If you have quarters for my crew if they want them, though, I’d appreciate it.”

“We’re staying with you.” Changbin was quick to interrupt any possible response from Woojin, and Jisung nodded in agreement. Chan shrugged, feigning indifference, but he was relieved the two had decided to stay with him on the ship.

Woojin personally led them back to the bay where their wrecked ship was anchored, giving Chan his link ID before parting with them. Only when he was out of sight did Chan lead the way back onto the ship, through the rubble of what was left of the lower decks to the remaining somewhat intact upper deck and bridge.

“Chan?” Jisung asked hesitantly when they finally sat back in their seats on the bridge.

“Hm?”

“Why did you reject the guest quarters?”

Chan sighed quietly, trying to find the right words to explain his decision.

“You don’t trust them, do you?” Changbin asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

Chan shook his head, figuring there was no point in trying to hide anything from these two.

“I don’t. I feared they might try to get rid of this ship while no one was on board to force us to stay here and accept one of their ‘offers’ even if we don’t want to…”

Jisung swallowed thickly, that thought not having occurred to him yet.

“Do you think they’ll throw us off while we are on board?”

Chan shook his head.

“No. Woojin clearly needs us. He’s desperate.”

“He is?”

Chan nodded.

“It’s obvious in the way he negotiates He really wants to leave this place and his father’s scrutiny. I suspect that it’s mostly to get his brother away from him than to escape himself, too.”

“I had that impression, too. Woojin is a fool for his brother, that was quite obvious. The kid, though… He’s unnerving. He looks and acts like he knows more than anyone else around him… Not in an arrogant way but… he’s too calm.” Changbin mused, while at the same time booting up the main computer of the ship.

“Well, if he’s Woojin’s brother, he’s at least half Taviran, too. He has some kind of power, too… What are you doing?” Jisung peeked over Changbin’s shoulder, resting his chin there as he watched Changbin’s hands flit across the control desk.

“Checking if they managed to breach through our security systems… Doesn’t look like it, though. And, yeah, about the kid… Chan, if we are to accept their offer… I want to know what exactly the kid’s powers are before we take him with us. As well as the powers of the creepy father.”

Chan nodded slowly.

“I know. I want to know details about that, too. But, before we consider that… What do you think about their offer in general?”

“I like it. In general. It pains me to see our ship like this, knowing I can’t do anything to recover it. But they are right, there is nothing left to do with this ship, it’s over. And I’d rather we leave it behind and start anew on a new ship, as soon as possible, to get over it. Of course, I really want to see what kind of new ship we are talking about, first.” 

Chan nodded at Jisung’s statement, feeling a similar way.

“Of course. I was thinking more along the lines of… What do you think of having Woojin and Seungmin join us? And their father basically breathing down our necks, even if from afar?”

Jisung shrugged.

“Someone is always going to be breathing down our necks. And if Changbin can confuse the tracker in a believable way, I’m ok with it. Even with the spies who’ll be reporting about us back to Kim Hyunsuk, and the obligatory visits. I think we’ll still be able to retain enough independency, the reports back to Hyunsuk would be made by Woojin, anyway, and we gather information about the Alliance as it is, so it’s not an extra chore. And, well, if we ever get tired of the Tavirans, we can always find a brand new Alliance ship that hasn’t been in any fights, take that over for ourselves and send Woojin and Seungmin on their merry way on their ship…”

Chan’s eyes lit up a little, not with his powers, but in interest.

“I like the way you think, Sung… What about you, Bin?”

Changbin hummed pensively.

“I don’t trust the whole bunch… I don’t want to be tracked and have anyone watching our every move. And while Woojin might say he doesn’t want the captain position, I have a feeling he might want to meddle in the way we work… I’m not sure I’m ok with that. I like the way we operate, I don’t want someone else messing with it. But, we do need a new ship…”

“Woojin is a smart guy, and with his specific set of powers… He’ll certainly have suggestions about how to improve our strategies. I don’t see that as a bad thing. Of course, whatever suggestions he may have are only going to be implemented if all of us agree to it. And if either of you isn’t comfortable with a part of a change or a strategy he comes up with, it’s not going to happen, I’ll make sure of it.” Chan reassured him, and Changbin leaned back in his seat with a sigh, dislodging Jisung from his shoulder.

“We’ll have to learn to compromise, I guess… And make the best out of it. But I’m with Jisung, if we don’t like them, we steal a brand new Alliance ship and send them home. Deal?”

Chan laughed quietly, grateful that Jisung and Changbin weren’t making this harder for him than it absolutely had to be.

“Deal.”


	6. Esmerilhao

Chan woke up to quiet whispering somewhere close to his left, recognizing Jisung and Changbin’s voices. He blinked his eyes open slowly, taking a moment to let them adjust to the artificial light from the landing bay streaming in through the windshield. He must have fallen asleep in the chair he’d been sitting in at some point, though he had no recollection of ever having moved the chair into a horizontal position, nor of grabbing the blanket with the cartoon characters that Jisung had taken a liking to to cover himself with. 

The whispering stopped abruptly and he caught Jisung nudging Changbin with his elbow and nodding at him, diverting his attention from the small device they were huddled over.

“Channie is awake.”

Chan smiled with still half-closed eyes.

“Morning, kiddos.”

Changbin snorted softly while Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Morning, old man.”

“Someone brought breakfast over for us. We already ate, but we left enough for you, over there.”

Chan got up, stretching, and shuffled over to where Changbin indicated, finding a warming tray with honestly quite delicious smelling food set on an empty chair.

“How long did I sleep for?” He asked between bites while Jisung and Changbin had gone back to tinkering with whatever they had been doing before.

“Little over nine hours.” Changbin answered without looking up from what he was doing.

Chan’s eyes widened and he spluttered.

“What time is it?!”

“Eleven thirty-nine.”

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner?!” Chan’s voice cracked with mild panic, choking on the bite he hadn’t finished chewing yet, and both Changbin and Jisung looked up to give him a reprimanding look.

“Wake you up when this was, like, the first time you’ve slept more than a few minutes at once in ages? Absolutely not!”

“And after the day we’ve had yesterday and the way you’ve over-exerted yourself? Hell no!”

Chan rolled his eyes at them, hurriedly finishing the piece of food he was holding.

“I needed to talk to Woojin in the morning, and now it’s almost noon!”

“You didn’t. He said there was no rush on his part. You planned on talking to him in the morning, but there was no commitment. Relax, Chan. And make sure you try those yellow buns over there. They are delicious. I think there are even real vegetables in them. Like, fresh ones.” 

Jisung nodded in agreement, still not looking up from the device Changbin was holding at a certain angle now so Jisung could reach a certain part better.

“That dark purple juice stuff is amazing, too. Wakes you up like nothing I’ve tried before. And tastes great, too.”

Chan sighed, but eyed the remaining food on the tray with interest, and after a moment of deliberation, picked up one of the mentioned buns and bit into it. Changbin was right, it was delicious. He took two more bites before his curiosity over what Changbin and Jisung were doing finally became unbearable.

“What are you working on over there?” He asked, just to be stopped in his tracks before he could get too close.

“Don’t drop crumbs all over us! We’re building a device to find tracking devices.”

Chan frowned.

“So… a tracker? What for?”

Jisung shook his head.

“Not a tracker. This thing is supposed to find the exact location of any device sending out a tracking signal. Not on a universal scale, but, let’s say, on a ship, in a room, in the confined space of a supplies closet, or wherever a device like that might be hidden.”

Chan’s eyebrows shot up before he nodded in appreciation.

“Neat! I had no idea you could build stuff like that…!”

Jisung looked up, grinning at Chan.

“I picked up a few things along the years… I’ve always wanted to be able to develop and build things like this of my own. And it’s even more fun doing it together with Binnie. I feel like together we can build some shit that could give the developers from the Alliance a run for their money!”

Changbin chuckled quietly as he tapped something into a small handheld link connected to the device Jisung had been soldering.

“Oh hell yeah…! Sung, this point is slipping.” He directed Jisung’s attention back to the task at hand, and Jisung dove right back in, catching the wayward soldering point before it could slip further and cause any faulty connections. 

“It shouldn’t be too long until we are done with this… I’m almost done with the hardware, just need to fit two more modules in and connect the screen.”

Changbin nodded in agreement.

“I’m as good as done with the programming, too. As soon as Jisung has it all put together I can get to work synchronizing and calibrating the finder, and we’ll do some test runs later on.”

Chan nodded, not entirely sure what exactly their words meant, but as long as they knew what they were doing, he figured he didn’t need to understand it.

“You’re incredible, both of you. I’m amazed!”

Both smiled at Chan’s words.

“You’re pretty great, too. Just wipe the drool tracks off your cheek before you go meet up with Woojin.”

“And fix the bed head… Or actually… Never mind, it’s cute.”

Chan groaned quietly.

“I take it back... Brats!”

Jisung and Changbin chuckled quietly, and even though they were focused on the device in their hands, they didn’t miss the fond look Chan gave them before he left the bridge, nor his covert gestures wiping at his cheeks and trying to pat his hair down as he left.

“His bed head does look cute…” Changbin mumbled quietly after the doors had closed behind Chan, and Jisung hummed.

“It does. I don’t know if it’d be detrimental to our negotiations if he showed up in front of Woojin looking like that, or if it would work in our favour, to be honest.”

“I say it would help our cause. Makes him look all soft and innocent, and if Woojin has at least one heart at all somewhere in his body, he’ll totally fall for his charms.”

“You might have a point there…”

*#*#*#*

Chan had managed to tame his bed head by the time Woojin appeared to pick him up by the inner entrance to the docking bay, looking collected and, in his own way, intimidating, once again.

“So you’ve thought about it.” Woojin said in lieu of a greeting as he stopped before Chan.

“I have.”

“And?”

“I have more questions that I’d like to discuss before making my final decision.”

Woojin nodded slowly.

“I expected that. Shall we? I have an unsurveilled office just around the corner.”

Chan nodded, following Woojin to said office. It was significantly smaller than the lounge-like conference room they had been in the day before, but no less comfortably furnished.

“Have a seat.” Woojin invited, taking a seat for himself. “So, what are the topics you wish to discuss further?”

Chan hummed, sorting his thoughts for a moment.

“Well… One point that proved to be of major concern for all of us was the extent of your powers. Yours, your brother’s and your father’s. We’d need to know exactly what all of you are able to do if we are to comfortably coexist with you in the confines of one ship.”

Woojin hummed.

“Sounds fair. Well, you already know all there is to say about mine. There is no more to it than what I already told you yesterday. As for Seungmin… His powers are a little different than those of most Taviran’s, since they aren’t exclusively linked to his cognitive abilities, but extend further than that. To put it simply: he can sense life forces. If there is a living organism somewhere close to him, and I use the term ‘close’ relatively loosely, he can sense it. Of course, the more complex the organism, the clearer he senses it. If he knows the being, he can identify them long before he can see them by the unique signature of their life force, too, and he can also gauge the mood and intentions of a being by reading their signature.”

Chan was impressed by that revelation.

“So… He basically senses the energy of other beings?” 

“Pretty much.”

“What range does he have?”

Something akin to pride flashed in Woojin’s eyes.

“With some focus, a radius of about three kilometers, over double that if he directs his focus in only one specific direction.”

Chan couldn’t help his jaw dropping at that.

“For real?!”

Woojin nodded.

“He can sense every single being on this ship if he chooses to do so, and identify those whose signature he is familiar with among them. If another ship were to approach us, and he focused on it, he could tell us exactly how many people are on board, where on board they are, and what their general mood and intention is, if they are hostile, friendly, hurt, inquisitive, neutral, tired, desperate… The list goes on.”

Chan whistled lowly.

“So that’s why he was hardly impressed by my threats yesterday…”

Woojin nodded.

“Yes. He told me afterwards that you were so tired and spent you could have barely lifted a pencil with your powers if you had tried.”

“Very flattering…”

“Well. To your credit, someone without Seungmin’s special set of powers wouldn’t have been able to tell that…”

Small blessings, Chan mused. He had to admit that Seungmin’s powers were impressive indeed. Not just the range, but also the detail. Having someone like Seungmin on his crew could prove to be extremely valuable… Having someone like Seungmin as his adversary, however… Tricky.

“What about your father’s powers? Considering you used his abilities to threaten me, I find it imperative to know exactly what the stakes are should we end up working together.”

Woojin nodded.

“He has a special set of skills designed to help him predict every single movement a direct adversary might make against him, and find a way to counter them. Say, you were to consider striking him with a dagger; he’d know where you would be aiming before you even started reaching for that dagger, and be able to intercept the strike effortlessly before you even started it. The same applies to powers. Even if you remained completely immobile or out of his sight but sent your powers out to, say, snap his neck, he would know and find a way to avoid you or keep you from executing that move in the first place. The same goes for all kinds of traps, and every kind of mental power or other physical attack.”

Chan made an effort to school his expression into a neutral one, narrowly avoiding swallowing thickly. So, the guy was practically invincible. Great.

“Sweet. So, let me get this straight: should anything happen to you or your brother while you are on the same ship as us, our fault or not, your father will come after us and have our asses, should we be unlucky enough to not share your unlucky fate.”

Woojin winced.

“Basically…”

Chan stared at him drily.

“You know that doesn’t exactly endear your offer to us, right?”

Woojin exhaled slowly.

“I am very aware, trust me. This is the one thing that always ends all negotiations to be accepted into any crew that I have attempted so far…”

“I can’t imagine why… You’re basically asking us to babysit you while we’re out there doing one of the most dangerous, if not  _ the _ most dangerous thing in the universe, telling us that if  _ you _ mess up, it’s our asses on the line. Would that convince you if our roles were reversed?”

Woojin flinched.

“If you put it like that…”

Chan chewed on his lip for a while, letting the ensuing silence linger heavily in the room as he mulled over the options. They needed a new ship, quite desperately, but at what cost? Then again, Woojin seemed desperate, too, and maybe, he could use that to their advantage...

“I might act reckless with myself, but I will not put my crew in harm’s way lightheartedly. If we want to reach an agreement, you’ll have to give in in some points.”

Woojin looked up inquisitively, but to his credit, he didn’t show a single hint of being intimidated. He might be desperate, too, but Chan had to tread carefully; if Woojin was as good a strategist as he claimed his powers made him, he would have an even more detailed idea of what Chan’s requests would imply than Chan himself did, and he wouldn’t give in to anything he deemed too dangerous. If Chan was hell-bent on protecting Jisung and Changbin, Woojin was at the very least just as invested in protecting his little brother.

“And what points would those be?”

“Mainly one, to be exact. I am not flying where your father can track us. At all. We will deactivate all means he has to track us, and I expect your cooperation. Including when you contact him, and especially should he figure out something might be wrong with the tracking systems. I expect you to defend us against him should he figure out the tracking devices have been messed with. Aside from that, I also want access to your father’s spy database. I want to know every single one of your spies, where they are, how they look, what means they have and use. If we need to go into hiding for some reason, I want to be prepared and know what and who to watch out for.”

Woojin took a deep breath, holding it for a long while before exhaling slowly, and Chan just knew that he was calculating the risks of his request.

“You expect me to join you without any means to ensure my and Seungmin’s own safety for the sake of yours.”

Chan frowned slightly.

“I understand your need for that insurance. I can’t do much more than give you my word that as long as you don’t endanger my crew, you are safe as well. Which, considering I won’t have your ass for it should they or I mess up and something happens to them, is more than what you can guarantee coming from your father. Besides, you still have the regular contact with your father, as well as the visits to him that we will honor as a sign of our good will and insurance for you.”

Woojin thought about it long and hard.

“You could literally kick us out of an airlock and no one would notice until way too late that way…”

“If I kicked you out of an airlock, you would have two minutes left to live at best, five until your brain would be damaged to a point where resuscitation would be basically pointless, and no more than ten until resuscitation would be completely impossible. Traceable or not, any help in a situation like that would always come too late for you.” 

Woojin narrowed his eyes at Chan, but Chan remained impassive.

“Besides, I thought we had already agreed that I wouldn’t kill you for petty theft? If that is what you are worried about, you should know that me and my crew have since come to an agreement that should it prove to be unbearable for us to cooperate with you, we would find a way to acquire a ship for ourselves and leave you to return to your father with your own ship. As long as you don’t become a direct threat to us, we are no threat to you.”

Woojin’s eyes widened again.

“That’s all you would do?”

“Yes.”

Woojin groaned, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing at his face, and then sighed deeply.

“Alright. Ok… I… I suppose that is acceptable…”

Chan leaned back in his seat, sighing a lot more quietly than Woojin.

“I’m glad you agree. Now, I have to run this agreement past my crew first but… If they agree, all that’s left is to see what kind of ship you have to offer… Which by now I hope is a little more than a flying tin-can, so we can actually get out of here at some point…”

A small smile played around the corners of Woojin’s lips.

“Now that is one thing I’m sure you won’t find anything in to complain about.”

Chan rose an eyebrow, cocking his head inquisitively as Woojin got up from his seat.

“The Esmerilhao is a quite special ship… But I’m sure you’ll find it is a little more than a flying tin-can and very much acceptable. Unless, of course, you aren’t too much of a fan of the AF series, or AF 33 in specific.”

Chan shrugged, giving Woojin a blank stare.

“I am not going to pretend that I know what you are talking about. I’ve never been that invested in ship types. In any case, let’s agree to meet up later so you can show us around that ship of yours, in case my crew is ok with giving this arrangement a try.”

With that he got up and just barely missed Woojin’s quiet sigh of resignation.

“When should I come by your ship?”

“Give me about… two hours. That should be enough.”

*#*#*#*

“He said he has what kind of ship now?” Jisung nothing short of screeched, causing Chan to flinch back.

“AF 33? At least that’s what I suppose he implied…”

Jisung actually screeched, jumping up onto his seat, and this time Changbin flinched, too.

“Sung! Will you tone it down? Some people actually want to retain their hearing abilities…”

Jisung shook his head testily.

“Guys! Don’t you know what that means?”

Chan gave Jisung the same blank stare he had given Woojin.

“I have no idea. Does it matter that much?”

Jisung looked as if he had offended every single cell of his being.

“I know what a AF33 is, but that is still no reason to scream like a banshee drunk on Gaivan wine.” Changbin grumbled, rubbing at his ear that had been facing Jisung when he had screeched.

“The AF series is a series of upper middle-weight fighter ships with pretty much every extra feature you could wish for! Now, the 33 is… It is the largest of the series, so much so that it technically should classify among the heavy-weights already, but thanks to some kind of engineering miracle, it is as nimble as the best lower middle-weight fighters out there. Rumor has it that there are less than fourty in existence, since the Alliance deemed the 33 too dangerous should they ever fall into enemy hands, and halted the production until further notice. Of the less than fourty that were produced, only the first five weren’t modified with special features that are supposed to work as emergency off-switches. If this one that Woojin has happens to be one of the first five… I… I seriously can’t-... Chan, I don’t give a single shit about what powers Woojin’s father has, or what consequences we might face in some eventuality. I would lie my life down in a heartbeat to just be able to explore the insides of a 33 once in my life!”

Chan’s eyes had steadily widened throughout Jisung’s explanation as it dawned on him just what kind of ship Woojin must have there.

“So, you’re telling me-...”

“That that ship is basically the single best ship in existence? Absolutely! As far as fighters go, without a doubt. It might not be the best in terms of cargo hold, or energy efficiency, and not be able to carry the really big guns that the battle motherships carry, but… You can still say it is not just the queen of ships but a straight up goddess! The most badass of hunting goddesses, no less!”

Chan exhaled slowly, sinking back into his seat.

“You said you came to an agreement with Woojin regarding the tracking and the situation with his father, right?” Changbin cut in, his voice a pool of calm and rationale next to Jisung’s bubbling volcano of excitement.

“Yeah… I also told Woojin about our agreement to let him go with his ship and find a ship of our own should we wind up not being able to work together at some point. It was what was needed to get him to agree to my terms. He is not going to risk his brother’s life lightheartedly, and that was what he felt he was doing had he agreed to my terms without that compromise from my side.”

Jisung whined quietly.

“Channie, I don’t know if I can ever be content on another ship again after having spent so much as a day on a 33…”

“Ok, calm your dramatic squirrel-ass, Sung. No ship in the whole universe is worth enduring a miserable agreement over. You’ll live.” Changbin rolled his eyes, but it was Chan’s sad smile that gave Jisung pause.

“If Woojin and I decide to split ways at some point I’ll of course honor the agreement and let him have the ship, but we never said anything about crews. If either of you prefer to stay with him should the day of a split come, you are of course free to do that.”

Jisung’s whole expression fell and he stared at Chan in shock.

“What- Chan, I…! I didn’t mean that! I would never desert your for another captain! Who do you take me for?!”

Chan’s spirits lifted a little at Jisung’s absolutely scandalized expression and tone.

“I’m just saying, Sung…” Chan reiterated, looking both Jisung and Changbin in the eyes, making sure they understood he was serious.

“No way!” Jisung shook his head again, and Changbin followed suit.

“Yeah, nah, I’m not leaving you, either, no matter what kind of offers Woojin manages to come up with. Anyway, when did you say he was going to pick us up?”

“Any moment now… So, you are ok with all the aspects of the agreement we came to? Not just regarding the father, but also considering Seungmin’s powers?”

Jisung, now significantly sobered up, nodded slowly.

“Yeah… I’m sure I’ll manage… And if Seungmin ends up seeing things he wished he never saw while spying after our energy signatures, invading our privacy, that certainly isn’t my problem…” His smile returned and he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Chan gagged.

“By Belize, Han Jisung! You are the worst, child!”

Jisung cackled, and Changbin rolled his eyes again, letting his head thump against the surface of the command desk next to him with a small whine that sounded like a cry for patience and mercy. He jolted back up as he must have seen something out of the corner of his eyes, pulling something up on the desk.

“Woojin’s here.” He announced, attracting Chan and Jisung’s attention. 

“Shall we?” Chan asked upon confirming that it was indeed Woojin who’d entered the bay, approaching the ship. By the time he’d finished speaking those two words, Jisung was already at the door, ready to rush outside in his impatience to see Woojin’s ship.

Changbin huffed, getting up along with Chan at a much more moderate pace, and took Chan’s hand in his own, squeezing it comfortingly before they followed Jisung.

“He won’t desert you, Chan, no matter what kind of fancy ship Woojin has. You know that, right?”

Chan hummed non-committedly. 

“It’s ok, Bin…”

It wasn’t ok, not in Changbin’s eyes, but for now, he let it go; not of Chan’s hand, though, not even as they stepped off the ship to follow Woojin to his own.

*#*#*#*

“Real food, guys! The galley is made to cook actual, real food in! And the showers! Water showers! No space clean cells! It’s been forever since I last had a real water shower… And the cabins! We won’t have to share anymore; we could even have two cabins each!” Jisung kept on chattering excitedly as they were back on their ship, picking up their belongings.

“We were there, too, Jisung, we know…” Changbin sighed with a shake of his head, but there was a smile on his slips.

“Oh, shut up, Bin. I can see you mentally drooling over the computers on board from here!”

Changbin’s eyes glazed over ever so slightly.

“Ok, but… have you  _ seen  _ that control center? Fully interactive holo interfaces, support-independent projecting, and the sheer  _ capacity _ of those processors! The possibilities with a computer like that are  _ endless _ !”

Chan shook his head fondly over the other two’s excitement, smiling to himself as he went to gather what little had survived of his personal belongings in his ripped-apart cabin. He had to admit, at least to himself, that Woojin’s ship was impressive. Not just size-wise, but in equipment and structure, too. 

He was pleased to find that there was a fully functional infirmary on board with the most up to date equipment there was. After the close call with Jisung not even two whole days ago, that did wonders to reassure him. Still, he hoped he would never have to make use of that infirmary; he fully intended to make Jisung and everyone else wear the high-end combat suits that protected against most of the most common blasts out there the ship was equipped with every time they stepped off the vessel.

He was also quite pleased by the top notch shields and veiling the ship apparently came with, and the different kinds of cannons and ammunition he’d have at his disposal; all the different kinds of energy he would be able to draw from them to wreak havoc almost had him giddy, and that wasn’t even considering what he’d be able to do using the two detachable single seater fighter jets that came with the ship…

As long as they were on that ship they would be technically invincible, even without his powers, which made him wonder why the designers had even bothered equipping the ship with so many evacuation capsules. Then again, it was also unusual for a fighter that size to come equipped with three separate considerably sized cargo bays; and that wasn’t even counting the ammunition hold and the amount of spare fuel tanks.

He supposed it made sense for there to be that many spare fuel tanks, though; he could only imagine how much fuel it would take to bring that beast of a ship up to a speed of three light-years an hour… He had never even heard of any vessel that managed to go that fast at peak test speed, never mind at standard top speed!

“Channie? Are you ready?” Jisung’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, yeah… Did you get everything from the bridge?”

Jisung nodded, holding up the fuzzy cartoon blanket with a lopsided smile.

“Most important item: secured.”

Chan chuckled lightly, turning back to what was left of his cabin, checking if he had packed everything of value that remained. He felt a comforting hand on his arm after a moment.

“Hey… Are you ok?”

Jisung’s voice was soft and laden with concern.

Chan blinked and found it suddenly hard to swallow.

“Yeah…” He croaked, covering Jisung’s hand with his own. “I just didn’t think I’d actually get attached to this piece of crap ship…” He chuckled humorlessly.

“Well, I kind of grew attached to it, too, and I spent a lot less time on it than you have… It’s sort of become… home.”

Chan nodded quietly, taking a deep breath. He knew what Jisung meant by it: for him, it was all that he had left of his actual home; but for Jisung, it had been the first home he had ever had worthy of that name.

“Let’s try to build a new home for ourselves, ok?” He squeezed Jisung’s hand in his and Jisung shuffled closer, hugging Chan with his free arm.

“As long as you are there with us, I’m sure Binnie and I can find a home no matter where we are.”

Chan’s eyes started stinging, and he shook his head, stepping out of Jisung’s hug to hold his hand in a tighter grip instead and lead him out of the wrecked remains of the cabin.

“Let’s go... The sooner we get out of here, the less painful it will be.”

Changbin joined them the instant they stepped back into the hallway.

“Ready to go?” Chan asked him, and Changbin nodded once.

The bundles they had packed were really nothing significant, looking almost sad tucked under their arms.

They didn’t look back once as they left the wreck that had been their ship behind in the bay, though Chan was only able to refrain from doing so since he was flanked by Changbin and Jisung on either side, and he would rather take a plasma blast in the chest than let either of them see the tears in his eyes and make this harder for them than it already was.

*#*#*#*

The Esmerilhao was almost obscenely large, Chan recognized with frustration as he tried to gather everyone in the lounge-like conference room attached to the bridge for the third time without success because  _ someone  _ would always be wandering off somewhere by the time he managed to gather the other three.

“Changbin, have you figured the intercom out yet?” Chan groaned, frustrated, as he found only Changbin in the room after having left to find Seungmin, who trailed in behind him now. His feet were starting to hurt from all the running around that he had been doing on this ship ever since they had departed the mother-ship.

“Of course.”

“Then please let it be known  _ everywhere _ on this ship that I need  _ all _ of you up here, right now!”

Changbin bit back a smile and reached over to the small control panel in front of the chair next to where he was sitting himself, opening the channel for the whole ship

“Hey, everyone up in the conference room, stat, before Channie pops an aneurysm. Talking to you, Jisung, in specific; you can flirt with the rear propulsor turbo engines later.”

Chan groaned, falling into the seat with the control panel that Changbin was operating.

“Really, now?”

A light blinked on the control panel and then Jisung’s voice was heard in the conference room.

“It’s rear turbo propulsor engines, thank you very much. And I’m not  _ flirting _ , don’t be ridiculous.”

Changbin rolled his eyes.

“He literally asked me to look up if there were any governments or religions that blessed romantic relationships between humanoid creatures and ships earlier.”

“Fuck off, Changbin. That was a joke! … unless you found one?”

Chan groaned again.

“Jisung, just get your ass up here! You too, Woojin… I mean, just come up here, please.”

It bordered a miracle, in Chan’s opinion, when not too long afterwards, everyone was actually in the room, and he wasted no more time breaching the subjects he needed to discuss, lest someone wandered off again.

“Finally. Now, I wanted to discuss with you what our next steps should be. First of, Changbin, Jisung, how long do you two think you need to get acquainted with the ship, to a point you can confidently operate all areas?”

Jisung let out a long breath.

“All areas? About two weeks, on my part…”

Changbin nodded in agreement.

“For all areas and functions, yes, about the same. I can figure out the steering, maneuvering and weaponry in far less time, though. Maybe three days?”

Chan nodded at that, his attention suddenly caught by Woojin raising a hand, asking to speak.

“Yes? Just speak, no need to ask first.”

“Since I am familiar with the handling of the ship, I could help you get used to it, show you how everything works, plus some tricks and quirks.”

Chan nodded pensively.

“Changbin?”

Changbin shrugged.

“Sure. Why not.”

“Perfect. Jisung, I want you to figure out the weapon loading mechanisms, as well as the location of the controlling elements for veiling, the shields and everything regarding main propulsors and main steering elements first.”

“Gotcha. I doubt anything will fail us any time soon on a ship like this, though.”

“I still want to make sure you can save our asses on short notice  _ should _ anything fail at any point.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. I got it; in fact, that was what I was already doing when you ordered my ass up here. I should be familiar with all of those by tomorrow around noon.”

Chan gave him a tired smile.

“Perfect. Moving on; our objective is still the same as always: bring up Alliance ships and leave them in pieces, preferably after raiding them for every and any thing useful they could provide us with. I suggest we wait until Jisung and Changbin know the basics of how to operate this ship and then go after our first target. Now, what we need to decide is what our first target should be, and how we’ll go about it. Woojin, Seungmin, have you ever been actively involved in a raid?”

Woojin tensed minutely in his seat, barely noticeable, whereas Seungmin’s reaction was more obvious.

“No, I haven’t. All I’ve been ever asked to do was gauge how many people were on an approaching ship, but it was never in raids…” Seungmin answered truthfully.

Chan nodded in acknowledgement, without judgement.

“What about you, Woojin?”

“I’ve developed raiding strategies before, but I’ve never been actively involved in actually boarding another ship, getting involved in direct fights and scavenging for spoils.”

Chan nodded again.

“Alright. How about… I suggest we go after a ship that is approximately the size of the larger ones we’ve been after so far this time. We proceed exactly the way we have been before, and this first time, you two sit it out and watch how we operate. Afterwards, we’ll see how we can incorporate you two in the future, and on bigger target ships.”

“Question?”

“Yes, Seungmin?”

“How do we… watch? I mean, I’d be able to tell where everyone is, when you leave the ship, but not what you are doing, so… I don’t know how that will be helpful. Or are we supposed to come with you to the other ship and just stand by while you do all the work? I feel like that… that would be more of a hindrance for you than it would help us learn anything.”

Chan nodded.

“You are absolutely right. No, you won’t board the other ship. Only Jisung and I will. You two stay with Changbin here. Changbin hacks his way into the controls of the enemy ship and takes over their cameras and communication. He can lay it on the big screens so you can watch whenever we are somewhere their security cameras can pick up, and we’ll relay what we’re doing via the comms.”

Woojin frowned.

“Won’t that be distracting for you?”

“Oh, trust me, it won’t change a thing about how we’ve been working so far. Jisung can’t shut up for more than two seconds when we’re raiding. Live commentary is always guaranteed.” Changbin reassured, earning a glare from Jisung, which quickly dissipated and gave way for a resigned sigh.

“I suppose you’re right. The adrenaline makes me talk more than usual.”

“That is possible?” Seungmin looked as if he had let that slip unintentionally, covering his mouth quickly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that-...”

He was interrupted by an indignant “Hey!” from Jisung and boisterous laughter from Changbin. Chan chuckled, too.

“You’d be surprised, really...”

*#*#*#*

“How is it going?” Chan asked quietly, late at night when he and Changbin were the only two left awake and on the bridge.

“I recovered all the data from our ship so I can access it from here. And Woojin really helped me get a hang on the navigation and controls. It’s so much easier than I thought.”

Chan came to a stop behind Changbin, peering over his shoulders to try and gauge what it was he was doing now. Key-word being trying.

“And what are you doing now?”

Changbin smiled his signature lopsided smile.

“Encrypting this baby. Jisung and I are going to start working on impairing those trackers after the raid, but all that would be useless if we are still traceable online and our logs unprotected. Granted, the programming on these systems is quite good, and the same goes for the security measures, but… whoever builds a lock knows how to pick it, you know? I don’t trust an encryption I haven’t written myself, not completely.”

Chan smiled back, resting his hands on Changbin’s shoulders and massaging them lightly. He used his powers to dissipate the tension in the muscles, infusing them with renewed energy to help them endure sitting here, slouched over the control panels for a while longer.

“So hardworking… Don’t stay up too long, ok? You should get some sleep, too…”

Changbin turned around in his seat, not far enough to dislodge Chan’s hands from his shoulders, but far enough so he could look up at him.

“Are  _ you _ going to sleep?”

Chan sighed.

“I don’t think I can just yet, with all these changes…”

Changbin’s eyes lit up with understanding.

“With people you don’t know and trust on board.” He put into words what Chan wasn’t saying, and Chan smiled tiredly, wordlessly confirming Changbin’s guess.

“These chairs are really comfortable, you know… You could always try to nap up here while I’m still working…”

Chan sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs next to Changbin.

“These  _ are _ comfortable- Hey!!”

Changbin chuckled at Chan’s surprised expression as the back of his chair lowered into an almost horizontal position and a footrest rose from underneath, supporting his legs

“Rest, sweet summer child.”

Chan glared at him, but there was no heat behind it, and he quickly decided it wasn’t worth the effort and leaned back. He was tired, after all, and resting for a little while surely wouldn’t hurt. 

He woke up once, kind of, when Changbin covered him with the infamous cartoon blanket, telling him something along the lines of “I’m not asleep”, but Changbin ignored him. When he woke up the next time, this time more alert, he found Changbin standing behind his seat, stretching and bouncing on the balls of his feet, likely in an effort to stay awake.

Chan sat up, discarding the blanket to the side and getting up from the chair, attracting Changbin’s attention.

“What time is it?”

Changbin blinked at him as if he had trouble recognizing him, or what the words he had just said meant.

“Uh… going on four… Morning.”

Chan frowned slightly.

“You should have long since gone to sleep.”

Changbin shook his head.

“I wasn’t about to leave you up here alone while you slept. Not with how little sleep you get, and will likely get until you feel safe enough with Woojin and Seungmin on board.”

Fond warmth spread in Chan’s chest.

“You are too pure, Binnie…” He sighed, hugging him softly. “How far along are you with the encryption?”

Changbin smiled tiredly.

“Done, for now. I’ll step it up a bit more when more than a tenth of my brain is actually awake. I was actually looking for suitable target ships for our next raid…”

Chan was instantly more awake.

“Neat. Any finds?”

Changbin shook his head.

“Not yet. I only just programmed the filters. Haven’t had time to analyze the results yet.”

“How about I do that while you get some sleep now?”

Changbin shrugged.

“Feel free. I can’t focus on that anymore now, anyway.”

Chan gave him a soft smile and tightened his hug again before releasing him.

“Go ahead and enjoy the comfort of a decent cot, then. According to Jisung, the cots on our old ship were little better than the floor compared to the ones on this ship.”

Changbin rolled his eyes with a fond smile, bidding Chan good night before departing.

Chan took the seat Changbin had vacated, rolling his shoulders as he got ready to spend the next few hours in the same position, going through the charts in front of him in search of a good target. After the events of the past two days, that task bore a very welcome feeling of normality that felt almost therapeutic in it’s monotony.


	7. Strategies

“T minus ninety minutes until unveil distance. Damn, that ship really looks tiny now, compared to ours…” Changbin mused, analyzing the ship Chan had chosen to raid.

Chan hummed, looking back at the diagram of the target ship model Changbin had pulled up on the desk in front of him.

“And that’s already one of the bigger ones we used to go after. But Sung and I do have to walk it off ourselves, so it’s plenty big enough for the two of us.”

Changbin nodded to himself.

“Yeah… There’s three whole decks, not counting the bridge. Oooh, and this one has the particle fusion blaster, we might want to be careful with those… Lemme check if our shields will hold up against those…”

“No need to, they will! I checked them myself. Guess what else I’ve found!” Jisung chose that moment to waltz onto the bridge, slamming some kind of fist-sized device onto the desk in front of Changbin.

Chan had no idea, but for Jisung to look that smug, it had to be interesting, and he turned fully back onto the bridge, approaching the other two. Breakfast could wait a moment longer.

“What’s that, Sung?”

“This, my dear captain, is numero uno of the tracking beacons on this ship!” Jisung beamed.

Chan’s eyebrows rose as he gave Jisung an impressed look.

“Already?”

Jisung nodded, jiggling the device he and Changbin had built in the air in front of him.

“The baby works! There is more than one beacon on this ship, though, so it kept getting confused. But with one down, it should be easier to find the other slash others.”

Changbin frowned at Jisung.

“One down? Did you deactivate it?”

Jisung shook his head.

“Nah. But if our little friend here says the signal is coming from the bridge now, we know it’s just this one here and we can ignore it.”

“How many of these do you think are on this ship?” Chan queried, and Jisung shrugged.

“Two, at least. Possibly more. I don’t know. We’ll know once I’ve found them all!”

“That we will. Good job, Sungie! Have you had breakfast yet?”

Chan patted Jisung on the back, letting his hand linger as he asked his question. Jisung shook his head in answer.

“I was too eager to finally find this beacon. Food wasn’t a priority this morning!”

“We are eighty-four minutes out from unveiling distance, I need you two ready for all emergencies by T minus twenty at the very latest. You should have about fourty-four minutes to make and eat breakfast, considering you are unfamiliar with the new combat suits still and might need a little longer to change and gear up this time.”

Chan rolled his eyes fondly.

“Thanks, Binnie. We’ll manage. Let’s go, Sung. Do you know if out new shipmates have eaten yet?”

Jisung shrugged, as did Changbin, but Chan wasn’t particularly invested in the matter, anyway. They would know when the best time for them to eat would be.

*#*#*#*

“Oooh, there’s multiple choices! Are we doing black or white today, Channie?” Jisung clapped excitedly as he surveyed the choices of combat suits.

“Black is for ground operations. We’re doing white.”

“What’s the difference between them?”

Chan shrugged, choosing a suit that would fit him while Jisung did the same.

“Not sure. Maybe it’s in the kind of blasts that they can deflect, maybe in the different kinds of technology sewn into them. I haven’t had much time to read up on them yet. For now, let’s just go with what we do know, which is that white is for open space combat. Can you pass me that holster over there?”

Jisung handed him the holster wordlessly and couldn’t help but admire how nice the black of the holster contrasted with the white of Chan’s suit.

“You look badass like that.” He commented while Chan finished adjusting the holster around his torso.

“Thanks. So will you! You’re not going out there unarmed; I want blasters on you, tasers, knives… Maybe a short-sword, too. And throwing stars, those could come in handy!”

Jisung sighed, shoulders drooping.

“Chan… That’s too much. It’s just gonna weigh me down… again.”

Chan flinched, reminded of their last raid.

“You can’t go out there unarmed, though…”

“I won’t. But I don’t plan on fighting, anyway; that’s your job.”

Chan sighed.

“You might not plan on fighting, but maybe fighting is planning on you. At least one blaster and two knives?”

Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Of course. I’ll take a small reserve blaster, too, and two of these tear gas bombs. Happy?”

Chan shook his head as he helped Jisung strap the holster for the blaster on.

“Not until you’re back on this ship in one piece. Here, if you take the tear gas, you’ll need this, too.” He handed Jisung what would be a mask if he needed to pull it up, but which sat disguised as a high collar around his neck, so it wouldn’t hinder him.

Chan stepped back to give Jisung a long once-over, and Jisung posed exaggeratedly as soon as he had finished adjusting the mask to his neck.

“How do I look? Can I go out like this? Too sexy?”

Chan snorted softly.

“You look like you could kick ass; which I really hope will deter everyone from trying to engage you in the first place.”

Jisung hummed in agreement.

“Same. I do feel overdressed next to you, though…”

“I’m going for the whole ‘Let your underestimating me because I only have one blaster be the last mistake you make’ look.”

“And you’re owning it!”

“If you two are done inflating each other’s egos, we are T minus twenty.” Changbin’s voice interrupted them and Jisung shrieked.

“You need to stop eavesdropping on us before I seriously kick your ass one day, Seo Changbin!”

Changbin laughed over the intercom.

“While I agree with Chan that you look like you can kick ass, I do actually know better, Sungie. You don’t scare me!”

“I hate him. Tell him that, please, Channie.” Jisung huffed before rushing out of the room.

Chan followed him at a more moderate pace, but still wound up on the bridge before Jisung.

“T minus fifteen now. There she is.” Changbin pointed out through the floor-to-ceiling windshields where an Alliance fighter was coming into view.

“I need everyone up here!”

Changbin relayed the request through the intercom, and a few minutes later Woojin and Seungmin joined them.

“I couldn’t get into their systems yet since they must have updated their security. It would take me at least another hour to get in there, so I suppose we have to do it the old-fashioned way this time around.” Changbin informed them once they were all seated.

Chan shrugged.

“Cool with me.”

They watched, Seungmin and Woojin with somewhat bated breath, as they got closer to the Alliance ship.

“You talk, or I talk?” Changbin asked, just moments before they would reach unveiling distance, sitting almost alongside the other ship.

“I talk. Hail them.”

With few gestures Changbin lowered their veils and hailed the other ship’s bridge.

“Morning, assholes. I request you lower your shields and let us board, we have some things to pick up. Surrender or get blown to pieces!”

They didn’t get an answer, and suddenly Woojin gasped.

“Their cannons-”

“Changbin, fire.”

Changbin didn’t hesitate, but Woojin jumped up.

“Wha- we’re not in position!”

Chan didn’t pay him any mind, focusing on the blast Changbin had fired at random and redirecting it to hit the cannons of the other ship, which had only just reached the right angle to shoot at them. He waited until the exact moment their adversaries had to lower their shields to be able to fire the particle fusion cannon at them to slip his blast past them, and it hit the cannon at just the right moment, before they could fire themselves. Both their regular plasma blast and the particle fusion blast went off at the same time, tearing through pretty much the entirety of the cannon deck. The shock-wave of the explosion was tangible all the way over on the Esmerilhao, even if just slightly.

“Whoooo-hooo! Now _that_ was neat!!” Jisung whooped, laughing in his seat, and Chan couldn’t suppress a chuckle. He reigned himself in quickly, though, tapping the link to the other bridge again.

“Now, now, I said lower your shields, but not fire at us in the process. This one’s on you. Now, once you’ve regained your footing, better do as I said. I’m not known for being patient!”

_“Who the hell are you and how dare you attack Alliance forces?!”_

Chan laughed humorlessly.

“Payback is a bitch, isn’t it? You might have heard of me. Maybe not. There haven’t been many I’ve run in who’ve been able to tell much about me, now, have there?”

_“The Beiran Wraith is dead. We will not fall for a copycat. Surrender to us-“_

“Oh, gah! What did you just call me? Damn, mate, I wish I had actually died before hearing what lame ass nickname you came up with for me! That just used up what little patience I had. You have five seconds to lower your shields before I do it for you!”

_“In the name of the Alliance-“_

Chan cut the transmission.

“Fire, Bin. I’m done talking.”

And fire Changbin did, at that same old established rhythm they had practiced so many times before. Chan wasn’t being particularly careful with where their blasts hit, since there weren’t any specific parts of the ship they wanted to retrieve for themselves, and soon the Alliance ship was reduced to its core.

“Let’s go, Sung. Visuals by the docking bridge, please, Binnie?”

“They’re already up.”

Chan nodded in thanks and he and Jisung jogged down to the bay with the docking bridge. Once there, Chan took no time at all to dock the ships with his powers, the bridge connecting automatically.

“That’s a cute feature. Saves me trouble…” He mused as the sensors on the docking bridge automatically recognized the other ship’s and completed the docking on its own.

“I told you this ship was amazing! There are a million and one more features like this here, and I’m not even sure if any of our natural life-spans are long enough for us to get to explore all of them!”

“Oh, I’m sure we will. You got your blaster? Knives?”

“All here!” Jisung patted his holsters, and Chan nodded.

“Stay behind me. Binnie, you in?”

“Way ahead of you. Should I open the lock?”

“Please.”

“Let the show begin, then.”

The lock in the middle of the docking bridge hissed and receded, and Chan led the way through the short tunnel.

They were greeted by a handful of soldiers with weapons aimed at them, shots loaded and ready, and Chan shook his head at them.

“Now that would be a very bad-” someone fired, and Chan redirected the shot without even looking. “-idea.” He finished his sentence as the blast hit the soldier that had shot it in the stomach and he screamed.

“Channie, we agreed on no blood-bath this time! Remember how bad that one the other time smelled? I’m still not recovered.”

“Come on, Sung, Ferragudan isn’t _that_ bad, you’re overreacting…” Chan rolled his eyes as he stepped further into the bay, the soldiers in front of him backing up somewhat fearfully.

“Excuse me? You clearly lack sense of smell then! And I swear, this time you are not getting out of laundry duty if I get that shit on me!”

“Pirates! Stop where you are!”

Chan was about to reply to Jisung but stopped, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer.

“And who are you?”

“Lieutenant-”

“I don’t really care, mate. Get your pricks together and down here and stay out of my way. I have places to be.”

The soldier flushed red with anger, widening his stance as he glared at Chan.

“You have no power on this ship-”

Before he could finish speaking, Chan had grabbed him by the neck with his powers and slammed him against the wall behind him.

“I think I do, penguin. Now do as I fucking say-”

Chan was interrupted by the sound of another trigger clicking and he dropped the lieutenant to spin and redirect the blast to its sender. The soldier sank to the ground gargling, clutching at his chest. Before any of the others could shoot, Chan slammed them against the walls of the bay, too. Two hit their heads and would have crumpled to the floor, unconscious, if Chan’s powers didn’t keep them there.

“I’m over your shit. One more move and it’s over for you bitches!” he growled lowly, “Bin, how many of them are there?” He asked out loud, knowing Changbin was listening over the ship’s intercom to allow Woojin and Seungmin to witness their modus operandi.

“Eight, as far as I can tell. Aside from the ones down there with you, there’s two on the bridge.”

Chan nodded to himself.

“I’ll take those. Sung, have fun.”

Jisung gave him a thumbs-up and skipped off to check what the ship had to offer for them, while Chan did as announced and made his way to the bridge. Just as Changbin had predicted, two people manned the bridge, one, presumably the captain, yelling at the other to fix the communications system while the other tried to explain it was impossible.

“Knock-knock. Why didn’t you come join the party down in the bay? Exceptionally rude of you.” Chan announced his arrival, and the yelling man spun around, aiming and shooting at Chan in one movement. The blast veered off course and embedded itself in the other man’s calf, who yelled out in pain. The captain’s face remained remarkably impassive.

“Tss, is that a way to treat your crew? I’d desert him, if I were you- oh wait, running is gotta be a pain now, huh?” Chan taunted.

“You’ll choke on your laughter soon enough, Beiran rat!” the captain spat, aiming at Chan again.

“Will I now. I’d put that thing down before anyone else gets hurt, Alliance cock-slut.” Chan replied, bored, but he couldn’t shake a slightly uneasy feeling at the impassive face of the captain, something about the glint in his eyes not sitting well with him.

Before the guy could shoot again, the intercom came to life once more with Changbin’s voice.

“Twelve, Chan, there are twelve! Four coming up from the damaged cannon deck!”

The captain’s smirk grew.

“If we catch at least one of your rats while you’re not babysitting them-”

He never got to finish his speech, Chan slamming both his and the wounded soldier’s heads into the nearest hard surfaces with enough force to crack their skulls before darting off the bridge and back down to the bay.

“Jisung!” he gasped, panic crashing into him like a tsunami. The sound of blaster fire reached his ears just as he skidded into the bay, and while he was still trying to figure out where it came from, a white blur shot out of another entrance, crouching against the wall right next to it. Blasts followed it, hitting the opposite wall as they missed their target.

“Jisung!”

The white-clad figure looked up, finding Chan’s gaze.

“Chan! There were more than just two!”

Chan ran over to where Jisung was crouching, his knees hitting the ground next to him as he cupped Jisung’s face.

“I noticed! Are you ok?”

Jisung nodded hastily.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. One blast hit my leg, but the suit did its job. It’s probably just going to bruise a little. Did you find the others?”

Chan nodded.

“Don’t go to the bridge. One was Ferragudan.”

“Oh, gross! And you made a mess, didn’t you?”

“Possibly.” Chan shrugged as he got back up and ran into the passage Jisung had just come out of. Blasts came flying his way, but he redirected them to the walls as he couldn’t pinpoint the remaining four soldiers’ positions well enough to take them out just yet. He found two around the first corner and snapped their necks as he ran past them. He didn’t stop, running to catch up to the remaining two soldiers who were trying to open a seemingly jammed door leading into the bay.

As per his will, the door came loose and slammed in the face of one of the soldiers, knocking him unconscious. The other, Chan hurled across the bay. He hit the wall on the opposite side like a ragdoll, sliding down and crumpling into a heap that didn’t move again.

Chan ignored them, joining Jisung again, who’d gotten back onto his feet.

“Can you walk? Do you want to go back? We don’t need to raid this ship, we can just leave…”

Jisung shook his head.

“No, I’m good. I want to check their galley, I’m curious what they might have to eat. Besides, Bin needs more time to work with their computers.”

Chan watched him worriedly, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth about not being seriously injured as he walked, but Jisung didn’t even limp.

“I’m fine, really, Chan.” Jisung reassured him once again before striding back down the hallway he’d come out of before.

“No blood! I knew you could do it! Thank you, captain!” He shouted when he passed the two soldiers whose necks Chan had snapped.

Chan shook his head, taking a few deep breaths to calm down.

“Changbin, are you sure this was all of them? No more surprises, please.” He asked aloud, hoping Changbin would catch it.

“I’m sure. I’m sorry Chan, I didn’t get their signatures because everything electronic on the deck they were on was basically melted from the PB blast. But there are no more soldiers registered for this ship.”

Chan nodded slowly.

“Ok… ok. Do you have anything interesting on their cargo, or should we just check for random spoils?”

“Random spoils. They are flying empty. I’m just checking their logs for anything interesting now, I don’t even have a bug ready to upload to the main server through them, so let me know whenever you’re ready to come back.”

Chan suppressed a sigh, not really in the mood to scavenge for any spoils anymore, not after the scare with Jisung, but Jisung always had the most fun during this part, and he wouldn’t cut it short for him.

He wandered around the cargo bay, double checking there was really nothing worthy of taking or leaving, then did the same with what remained accessible of the cannon deck. After finding that most, if not all of the remaining ammunition had been rendered useless by the PB blast, he set out to find the captain’s cabin. On his way there, he bumped into Jisung, who was carrying a medium-sized box in his arms.

“I picked up some of their more appealing looking snacks, but to be honest, most of their food looked pretty gross. Mostly lyophilized stuff where you can’t even tell what it used to be. I did them a favour and brought the trash out. They did have some of that juice we had for breakfast on the mothership, though, so I took that.”

Chan nodded in approval.

“I’m going to bring this over and then come back to check the cabins. Are you going to blow up the computers? If you really got Ferragudan blood all over the bridge, I don’t want to go up there.”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of that before we go. I just want to check the captain’s cabin.”

Jisung gave him a thumbs-up before walking past him to run the box of groceries over to the Esmerilhao.

The captain’s cabin turned out to be the last one Chan checked, being the only one to hold only one bed instead of bunks. It looked like the captain liked to hoard trophies. There were the usual military medals and badges, but also what looked like debris from various ships at first glance. At second glance, he noticed that all the debris held either a number, name, and some even pieces or whole coats of arms. One in specific caught his attention, even though it was one of the smaller pieces of metal. It was no larger than the palm of his hand, but it was the only one not in a case, laying openly on the desk against the wall: one half was stained a deep royal purple, while the other half shone gold.

Chan swallowed thickly. Beire was by far not the only planet that had royal purple and gold in their coat of arms, but those had been their official colours. It wasn’t guaranteed that this piece of bent metal had come off a Beiran ship, but it was also not impossible.

It was hard for him to tear his eyes away from the piece of metal, but he managed, just to look over the collection of badges and medals again. There was no purple badge, and he hadn’t seen one on any of the soldiers he’d found on the ship, either, so, if they had truly blown up a Beiran ship… It must not have been during the wipe-out. They could even have picked up a piece of his own ship that had come off during their last confrontation; he’d flown under Beiran colours, after all…

“Chan…?” Jisung knocked on the door, peeking in, and then stepped inside to come to stand next to Chan to see what he was staring at.

“Don’t torture yourself, Channie… They don’t have the badge; this could be from any ship…” He murmured, taking Chan’s hand into his own and squeezing it comfortingly.

Chan took a deep breath, squeezing Jisung’s hand back.

“I know… I know.” He looked tormented, as if he had so many things he wanted to say, but he didn’t, in the end only squeezing Jisung’s hand again after a moment of indecision.

“Let’s go. There is nothing here worth taking.”

Jisung nodded, not letting go of Chan’s hand as they stepped out of the cabin.

“Bin?” Chan asked once they were back in the hallway.

“Aye?”

“Do you have the captain’s personal log?”

Changbin hummed.

“Not yet… But I can get it. You ready to come back?”

Chan nodded, even though he wasn’t sure if Changbin would be able to see it.

“On my way to blow up the computers. Tell me when you have the log.”

Somewhat reluctantly, Chan let go of Jisung’s hand.

“Go back over. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Jisung looked like he wanted to protest and stay by Chan’s side for a moment, but then he nodded silently and went to do as instructed.

“I got the log. Feel free to go nuts on the computer.” Changbin’s voice came over the intercom, and Chan made his way over to the bridge. He didn’t use his own blaster, but the captain’s that had been dropped to shoot into the cabinet with the many boards and circuits he didn’t care to understand. He didn’t need to understand them to know that the amount of raw energy he was forcing through the wires and along the delicate connections between equally as delicate chips was too much and he was essentially deep-frying the whole thing.

He didn’t look back once he left the bridge, but the wave of concentrated electric energy that tore its way through every possible conductor followed him on his way off the ship, leaving small explosions and bursting lights in his wake. It only stopped once he stepped onto the docking bridge.

Jisung was waiting on the other end of the bridge, welcoming him with a hug as soon as he stepped back onto the ship. Chan let him hold him for a moment, both of them standing there in silence before Chan pulled away.

“Let’s go up. They must be waiting for us.” He mumbled quietly.

Jisung hummed in agreement, tightening his hold shortly one more time before releasing Chan and following him as he led the way to the bridge.

As soon as they stepped through the doors, Changbin bolted up from his seat and straight past Chan to envelop Jisung in a tight hug that elicited an undignified squeak from the latter.

“I am so sorry I got their numbers wrong, Sung! Are you sure you are ok?”

Jisung pushed weakly at Changbin, unable to dislodge him.

“Ugh, actually… I seem to have been hit… by a giant full-body-clamp. Wait, no, it’s actually tiny, but surprisingly strong… someone help…!” He deadpanned, and Changbin huffed, releasing him from his hold and shoving him away, though with barely any force.

“Asshole… If that’s how you’re gonna be... See if I care then!”

Jisung smiled a lopsided grin, catching Changbin before he could step away and hugged him shortly himself.

“So sensitive… I’m fine. Thank you for caring. And you are forgiven; this time!” He smirked, and Changbin groaned, pushing out of his hold to go back to his seat.

Chan took that moment to turn and take Jisung’s hand again, guiding him over to a seat to push him into, too.

“Let me take a look at that bruise, please.”

Jisung rolled his eyes.

“Chan, it’s fine, it’s not that bad…”

“Please. If it’s not that bad, then just let me see for myself so I can rest assured.”

Jisung sighed but bent down to pull the leg of his suit up, uncovering his calf. The back of it shone with a bright red and purplish bruise, and Jisung winced slightly.

“I swear, it looks worse than it feels…”

It was too late, though, a deep, worried crease already having formed on Chan’s forehead as he crouched in front of Jisung to get a better view of the bruise.

“Let me heal it.”

Jisung opened his mouth to protest and insist once again that he was _fine_ , but something in the intense gaze Chan was fixing him with must have convinced him that it was pointless trying to argue with him at this point. With a sigh, he closed his mouth again and leaned back in his chair.

“Fine. If that’s what it takes to make you feel at ease, have at it.”

Chan gave him a small, grateful smile before laying a hand against the unbruised side of Jisung’s calf. After a moment without anything happening, the edges of the bruise started to fade, receding, until it disappeared completely, as if it had never been there. Satisfied, Chan pulled the pant-leg of the combat suit back down.

“Damn, that was amazing!” Seungmin’s whisper sounded almost loud on the otherwise quiet bridge.

Chan got up from where he was crouching and gave Seungmin a small smile, before moving to sit in the free chair next to Changbin.

“Well… Bin, there isn’t much to blow up, is there?”

Changbin shook his head.

“You seem to have destroyed pretty much everything there was to destroy with that energy wave… I took the liberty to take what fuel we could fit in our tanks from them, too… There is no way the few you left alive are going anywhere from here anytime soon.”

“Good. Looks like we’re done here, then. Bin, bring us out of here… anywhere, doesn’t matter where for now. Then… since we’re all here… You two have been able to observe how we worked today, right? Of course, we don’t always have glitches like today, but… I suppose shit happens. Any thoughts?”

Woojin and Seungmin unconsciously sat up straighter in their seats with the focus on them now, exchanging a small glance between them.

“What… what kind of thoughts would you be interested in?” Woojin eventually asked, tentatively.

Chan shrugged.

“Anything. Anything that left you curious, something that bothered you, ideas where you could see yourself fitting in… Suggestions on how to improve out method, since I suppose you must have some opinions about that, too, given your powers.” The last bit was clearly aimed at Woojin, and both Changbin and Jisung gave Chan curious looks at that but didn’t say anything. Chan was clearly trying to dissipate some of the tension that had almost tangibly been hanging between them ever since they had boarded the ship together and departed the Rebellion mothership.

Woojin cleared his throat quietly.

“Well… Your strategy is overall simple but effective, clearly… You are right in assuming that I do have some comments and suggestions to make, though, if that’s ok…”

“Go for it!” Chan encouraged, leaning back in his chair. His pose held no traces of nonchalance, though, emitting a sense of calm attentiveness instead.

“Alright… So, what I’ve noticed is that your strategy is clearly aimed at smaller ships, the kind that is even smaller than the one we just came from, given that -as far as I’ve understood- you tend to attack their on-board controls from afar already, which wasn’t possible with this last one. Right?”

Chan and Changbin nodded in unison.

“From what I know about Alliance ships, the bigger they are, the more complex their security systems. Pretty much any ship the size or bigger than the wreck behind us requires a physical link to access the on-board computer systems; at least those that control the ship, their maneuverability, locks, weapons, et cetera. Aside from that, bigger ships are also equipped with much more advanced surveillance technology. Even the veiling on the Esmerilhao isn’t advanced enough to hide a ship this size from those spotters at a range under half optical distance.”

Chan shifted barely perceptibly, only Changbin being able to pick up on the discomfort that showed in the tension building up in the captain’s shoulders.

“Ok… What do you suggest?”

“There is a feature on this ship that can help circumvent those problems. There are two unmanned remote-controlled drones on board, one that operates within optical distance of the ship, and one that works in double that radius, which are small and well-veiled enough to escape almost all spotters and can dock on the external ports of other ships. Through them, it would be possible to access the controls of the ship they are docked on from here, before we enter the perimeter in which our veiling would be rendered useless.”

Chan nodded slowly, schooling his features into indifference, but it was still noticeable that he was somewhat impressed.

“Binnie? What do you think?”

Changbin sat up a little straighter upon being addressed all of a sudden. He should have expected it, given that Chan had promised to take his and Jisung’s opinions on each change of strategy into accord.

“I… You know I prefer it when I am able to get a hold on them and pull the essential data out of them ahead of time, before you board them. Any way that makes that possible is welcome to me, especially if we are to go after bigger ships with more soldiers and bigger weapons.”

Chan nodded curtly.

“Ok. We’ll try those drones out asap. What else is there?”

Woojin adjusted his position in his seat, a little more relaxed than before after that first successful suggestion.

“The way you communicate with each other while on different ships; you use the inter-com of the boarded ship. That bears a number of risks: there could be someone on the boarded ship with the ability to block Changbin’s access, and you would be unable to even find out about it until it is too late. Besides, by using the open inter-com, the adversary will always be able to listen to what information you are exchanging, what plans you are making, what changes in strategy.”

Chan’s jaw set, and it was honestly unnerving.

“Keep going.”

“Those risks can be avoided with the suits you are wearing. They aren’t just equipped to ward off blasts, but come with a whole range of other functions. One of them is an integrated communications system, which, once programmed to recognize your voice for the controls, allows you to communicate with the wearer of any other programmed suit linked to this ship, as well as the bridge, inter-com or any localized link of the Esmerilhao without relying on the adversary ship and alerting everyone around you to the conversation taking place and the details transmitted.”

“I don’t like considering the possibility that anyone could kick me out of the controls of their ship once I’ve wormed my way in, but it would be too cocky even for me to say it’s impossible.” Changbin mused, and Jisung hummed in agreement.

“Besides, just how cool are personalized suits that only react to the voice of the wearer? I want to program mine right now!”

“Your suit needs to be cleaned first and checked over for damage from the blasts it took.”

Jisung grinned at Chan.

“Fine with me; you’re on laundry duty, _still!”_

Chan groaned softly, shaking his head.

“Later. We’ll look into the links in those suits. What else, Woojin?”

“That’s all I have on weak points and solutions for your strategy for now. I do have suggestions on how Seungmin and I could fit in, though.”

“Let’s hear.”

“As you know, Seungmin’s power is localizing life forces. He could tell you exactly how many people are on another ship as we approach it, and where each and every single one of them are on those ships. During a raid, he could stay here with Changbin, keeping everyone informed on where the adversary is so you, Chan, can take them out successively, or you, Jisung, can avoid running into them. Also, once Changbin has control over the ship, they could work together, locking doors and passages strategically to block the adversary’s path when confrontation is not desired.”

Seungmin’s expression soured just a little at his brother’s suggestion, an underlying tension setting in his shoulders, and it didn’t escape Chan’s notice.

“That… is worth taking into consideration. However… Seungmin, you don’t look too happy about the suggestion? What is bothering you?” If he was going to take into account what Jisung and Changbin thought about Woojin’s suggestions, it was only fair that he extended that courtesy to Seungmin, too.

Seungmin jumped in his seat upon being addressed by Chan, though, unprepared for that kind of attention all of a sudden.

“I- uh…” he looked one step away from cowering in on himself a little, but one side glance at Woojin and the surprised but somewhat challenging look his brother was giving him interrupted him, and he sat up straight instead, a hint of defiance flashing in his eyes before he addressed Chan again.

“I was under the impression that Woojin was merely looking for a way to keep me sheltered away from all the action, and therefore harm’s way, like a child, again. But I do want to be of use and actively help during raids.”

Chan hummed pensively.

“Do you have any combat experience, or at least training?”

“No actual experience, and not much training. But that is never going to change if I keep being excluded from any confrontation!”

Chan nodded, slightly amused.

“That is true. Woojin’s suggestion gives you what could become a quite important role, though, especially if you and Changbin can work out a way to direct the adversaries around to our benefit on enemy ships. We should focus on working on your combat training in between raids for now, though, and I’m sure there’ll eventually be a chance for you to take on a more active role in confrontations, too.”

Seungmin’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he held Chan’s gaze, and Chan had the distinct impression that the kid was most likely using his powers to read his intentions in that moment. What he found must have appeased him, though, since his stance relaxed somewhat and he nodded lightly.

“Ok. I’ll do my best.”

Chan hummed in acknowledgement before turning to direct questioning gazes at Jisung and Changbin.

“If there is a way to keep those nasties off my ass while I snoop through their ships, I’m all for it. I don’t particularly enjoy running with blaster-fire aimed at my back!” Jisung answered Chan’s unspoked question immediately, but Changbin was more reserved, brows drawn together as he thought about his answer.

“We can try… I can’t promise if I can work anything out, though…”

“Try is good enough for now. Practice makes perfect, after all.”

Changbin shrugged.

“Fine. Whatever…”

Chan frowned slightly, contemplating Changbin with a long, pensive look, until he decided he’d talk with him later about his concerns, in private, since he clearly didn’t want to talk about it now.

“Ok… So, what about you, Woojin? Where do you see yourself fitting in?”

“Me… Wherever you need me, to be honest. I don’t mind joining the fray and accompany you on the other ships, whether it is to look for spoils or take out adversaries, or stay behind for anything you might need me for here.”

Chan rose a questioning eyebrow at that.

“That’s it? I was kind of expecting you to have it thought out where you, specifically, would join in on the fun…”

Woojin shrugged, a little stiffly.

“I would think that depends on the kind of ship we plan to raid, and differs from raid to raid… There might be some that are big enough that you could use another person running through the decks to look for stuff, then others where you might want a hand in keeping all the adversaries in check, and others again where I’d be of more use over here, guarding the docking bridge, running cargo over, or even manning the cannons or something like that.”

It was a valid point, one that Chan had to concede.

“Well… fine with me. We’ll see what you’ll do from case to case, then… Is that all, for now?” he looked around, waiting to see if anyone would have anything to add, but no one seemed to want to speak up again. That was, until Jisung scooted forward in his seat.

“If that’s all… I want to go back to looking for those tracker beacons. I might have found one, but there seem to be more on the ship.”

Chan sunk back into his seat.

“I think… Looks like that _is_ all. Everyone, dismissed. Go have fun with your new toy, Sung.” He grinned lightly, and Jisung stuck his tongue out at him before jumping up and skipping to where he’d left his tracker-finder earlier. It was honestly impressive how much energy Jisung had; Chan was exhausted after the raid and was more than ready to take a nap in the chair next to Changbin, yet here Jisung was, happily skipping about as if he’d just come back from an invigorating walk in a park rather than  a raid on a hostile ship where he’d been running from blasts and lugging stolen goods back to their ship…

“I wonder if all Atalaians have that much energy or if it’s purely a Jisung thing…” Changbin muttered, and Chan swung his chair around a little, so he could face Changbin.

“Right? His energy reserves are no joke. I’m absolutely knackered, and it wasn’t even me who had to run from people shooting at my back…”

Changbin shook his head, lips pressed into a thin line.

“No… You just went and used insane amounts of your power to electric-fry a whole ship…”

“Electric-fry? Really?”

“Shut up, it’s a good pun. Better than what you pulled. Anyway, I bet you’re exhausted; you should nap.”

Chan was about to protest the validity of Changbin’s pun, but his own body betrayed him with a yawn.

“I won’t be able to sleep tonight if I nap now…”

Changbin huffed.

“You won’t sleep tonight either way. Go ahead; at least now I’m awake enough to sit guard next to you without falling asleep on this desk myself.”

“We should look for our next target instead of sleeping…” Chan protested weakly, but Changbin gave him a dry stare.

“I’m going to check the data we got from that last ship for anything interesting first. We can make decisions later, when we know if there is anything to take into account, and when you’re not yawning every two seconds. It’s not like we are on a time-crunch here.”

There was something intimidating and final in Changbin’s voice and look as he confronted Chan like that, and if Chan was being honest with himself, he _was_ too tired to argue with Changbin now.

“Whatever… Wake me if you find something interesting, then.” He kicked his chair back into a more comfortable position, and completely missed the incredulous expression flitting over Changbin’s face at his quickly accepted defeat. He also missed the look that would have told him that Changbin would sooner willingly give up working on computers than wake him up and deprive him of any one minute of sleep he could have gotten.

*#*#*#*

When Chan next woke up, he once again found Changbin and Jisung bent over what looked like a chaotic pile of wires, circuit boards and small devices that he could make no sense of.

“What are you guys tinkering with now?” He asked groggily as he made his seat come up into a more upright position.

“Evening, Channie!” Jisung greeted him without looking up from where he was soldering something.

“Sung found another beacon, but it’s not the last one on the ship yet… We’re building something to hook the devices up to each other so that they’ll indicate the same random spot in the universe, and not different spots that might alert Mr Overprotective Dad that we’ve been messing with them… Or make him think someone blasted his sons’ ship into pieces.”

Chan hummed in understanding, watching Jisung expertly connect wires to boards and each other, as well as the insides of two odd-looking devices which he guessed were the tracking beacons.

“That would be preferable, yeah…”

“I’m almost done with this, and then I’m going back to searching. But I was so frustrated earlier, I just had to get my mind off it for a moment, so I figured I might as well do something useful in the meantime.” Jisung explained, organizing the different devices and boards in a seemingly logical order on the desk he was working on.

“Frustrated? What happened?”

Jisung shook his head.

“I don’t know if it’s the finder, or the remaining device slash devices. It kept making me walk in circles and I couldn’t find anything. Every time I felt like I was getting close, the signal weakened and seemed to come from somewhere else all of a sudden.”

“He’s been going crazy over it. I almost had to knock him out earlier when he started yelling and almost woke you up in the process! We reprogrammed the finder now so it won’t recognize the frequencies of these two devices anymore, but it’s still doing the same thing…” Changbin added, and Chan frowned.

“I don’t get it… Can you show me?”

Jisung finished aligning the devices on the desk and nodded, getting up with the finder already in his hands.

“Sure. Let’s go!”

He led Chan down from the bridge to the deck with the cabins.

“This is where it gets confusing. There should be a beacon somewhere down here. There, you see?” he pointed onto the display, indicating the reception of a signal from somewhere ahead of them.

“When I move further down this hallway, it gets stronger. Until about- here! It was at three bars, and now it’s down to one again! Even when I take a few steps back, it remains at one. Now, if I go even further down this hallway… Here, it says the signal is behind us. I turn around, and go back and- oh, it’s getting stronger!” Jisung’s voice caught and he doubled the pace he was walking at, until he stopped again, so suddenly that Chan almost walked into him.

“It’s down to one again…”

Chan peered over Jisung’s shoulder, observing the phenomenon.

“What if you try approaching this point from somewhere else? The deck below?”

Jisung shook his head.

“The signal behaves the same way down there, just weaker. This is the point where it’s the strongest, before it goes weak again.”

“Hm… strange. And you’ve looked around here to see if there is a device somewhere?”

Jisung nodded.

“I’ve searched this whole damn hallway, every nook and cranny and crevice; bar taking the plating off the walls. Haven’t gone that far yet.”

“Ok. What do we have around here? What rooms… what technological wonders?”

Jisung shrugged.

“There are only cabins… The most complex technology we have here is the water heaters for the showers, and they are further down that way.” He nodded down the side of the hallway they’d just come from.

Chan hummed pensively, throwing out other guesses and verifying some with Jisung, when suddenly, the finder beeped, indicating they were really close to a beacon.

“What the- we haven’t moved! Where is this-“ Jisung spun in a circle, running a few steps in each direction to verify the position, but kept coming back to the spot the signal had indicated being the strongest.

“It’s strongest over here, right here- wait! What?!”

The signal got weaker again, and Jisung reached out with the device, trying to find the stronger signal again. He managed, a few steps further down the hallway, but lost it again, just to catch it even further down the hallway.

“I don’t understand, it’s as if-”

“As if it’s moving. What is below us?” Chan concluded.

“Engine supplies storage deck, gravity generator, oxygen and water recycling apparatuses, cargo bays…”

Chan didn’t wait for Jisung, expecting him to follow him anyway as he marched to the nearest set of stairs and climbed down. Jisung followed, of course.

“Chan, there is nothing down here… And the signal is getting weak again.” Jisung informed Chan, but still followed him around through the empty decks and bays.

Chan had to admit defeat eventually, and they climbed the stairs back up, to the spot where the signal had been strongest. They hadn’t quite reached it when the finder beeped again, indicating a strong signal, but several paces away from where it had last been.

“Am I going crazy, or is it really moving…” Jisung shook his head, then moved over to where the signal had been strongest before, just for his eyes to go wide in surprise when the finder beeped again.

“So, now there are two spots with a strong signal?!”

He checked again, going back and forth between the two spots, just to find that it was true, there were two spots.

“Sung… What is _above_ us?”

Jisung thought hard for a moment.

“I’m not sure… The bridge is a deck above us, but is it above this exact spot?”

“Let’s check!” Chan decided, and Jisung almost had to run to keep pace with Chan, even if he wasn’t going fast enough to not have time to check the finder. The signal weakened again, though he had expected that. What he hadn’t expected was for it to get slightly stronger again as they climbed the stairs to the deck above, and even more as they walked down the hallway towards the bridge.

“Chan… It’s getting stronger again!” he informed the captain, whose jaw set grimly.

They hurried down the hallway, until Jisung stopped in his tracks again.

“Chan! It’s beeping!”

“I can hear that. Come, keep walking!”

Jisung did, and his jaw dropped as the beeping got more insistent.

“But… we blocked the frequencies of the other two devices for this finder…”

Chan growled something unintelligible under his breath, striding towards the doors to the bridge, which slid open faster than they probably should. Jisung hurried after Chan, turning the sound of the finder down as the beeping got even more insistent, to the point it was slightly annoying.

He stopped dead in the doorway for a moment, then went straight to the desk with the devices he’d found earlier, but the finder didn’t seem to react to them. Instead, it indicated a spot behind him, and he turned back around, following the directions of the finder, but stopped again as the beeping picked up speed again the closer he got to-…

“Woojin…?”

“The signal was moving, wasn’t it?” Chan growled, though this time his words were crystal clear through it.

Jisung’s mouth felt dry as he saw the pupils of Chan’s eyes flash a silver so bright it seemed almost white.

“Chan, wait-”

It was too late, Chan’s powers flared so violently even Jisung and Changbin ducked. Woojin, however, was thrown across the room, eyes wide as he grasped at nothing around his neck before his back crashed against the nearest wall.

“Chan!”

Chan wasn’t listening, though, stalking towards Woojin with a murderous gaze.

“What are you doing?! No, stop! Please! What’s going on?! Woojin didn’t do anything! Let him go!”

Jisung barely had time to catch the panicking Seungmin as he came running past him, intent on reaching Chan and his brother.

“You don’t want to get closer to that, trust me…!” He hissed, pinning Seungmin’s arms to his sides as he held him back.

In the meantime, Chan had reached Woojin -who was still trying to loosen what invisible grip was pinning him against the wall by his neck, face going red and eyes bulging as his airflow was being restricted dangerously- and added his actual hand to the grip of his powers.

“What kind of fucking game are you playing, Taviran?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer to write than I expected... I'm back at work so time to write has become scarce again. I'm sorry I won't be able to update as frequently anymore, but work and life are a priority. I hope you can be patient and bear with me while I take a little longer to write updates <3


	8. Trackers

Woojin couldn’t have answered Chan’s question if he wanted to. His brain was screaming for oxygen as Chan’s grip on his neck near crushed his throat and blocked the blood-flow to his head, and only panic registered in his brain as his hands closing around Chan’s arm -trying to get it _off-_ had no effect whatsoever.

“Let him _go!”_  Seungmin’s voice could be heard again, and for a split second something other than panic, namely the wish for Seungmin to stay quiet lest he get himself in the same position he was in, made its way to the forefront of his mind. He tried to mouth a plea for Chan to let him go, too, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded between desperately trying to catch what little breath he could. Not that Chan would probably have given in just because he pleaded with him.

“Where are you hiding it? I told you I want no trackers on this ship, yet you think it’s a good idea to walk around with one? Is this what you call honoring an agreement?!” Chan snarled, and Woojin tried to shake his head to indicate he had no idea what Chan was talking about, he had no tracker on himself! That effort, too, didn’t bear fruits, though, since he could hardly move a muscle in his neck, and to top it off his vision was starting to fade around the edges.

“Chan, he can’t answer if you crush his windpipe…”

Woojin didn’t know how he was able to hear Changbin’s voice through the alarm in his mind, but he was infinitely grateful as Chan’s grip on his neck loosened a little. He gasped in as much air as he could, not knowing how long he had to get that task accomplished, and his vision focused again. Woojin didn’t know if he should commend Changbin’s bravery for getting close enough to Chan to place a hand on his shoulder or condemn his stupidity. He did, however, feel compelled to thank him in every way possible if his actions ended up saving his life.

“I-… I don’t have a tracker-… I promise!” He wheezed out through his abused throat, answering Chan’s question before he could change his mind again and tighten his hold.

His answer didn’t appease Chan, though, predictably, and his grip tightened again.

“How do you explain the moving tracking signals that are clearly coming from _you_ , then?!”

Woojin shook his head, succeeding this time since Chan’s grip was thankfully not quite as tight as the time before. Changbin tapped Chan’s arm, too, and Chan loosened his grip a little again.

“I don’t know! Please-”

Chan’s eyes narrowed, and he felt Chan’s powers slam him back against the wall even though he was standing against it already.

“Bullshit!”

His head spun from the impact and the lack of oxygen, and all he could do was shake his head minutely, voicelessly repeating his answer.

“He’s telling the truth! We didn’t bring any trackers, we swear! Let him go, _please!”_

Woojin really wished Seungmin would stay quiet so Chan’s attention didn’t fall on him. Jisung seemed to have had the same thought, shoving Seungmin into the nearest chair with a troubled look while hissing something at him that looked like an advice to stay quiet to Woojin.

“Chan, please. We won’t get anywhere like this…” Changbin tried again, and miraculously Chan’s grip loosened enough so Woojin could breathe at least a little bit. Before Chan could ask him anything again, Changbin took over asking the questions.

“Is there a possibility that someone implanted a tracker in you at any point?”

Woojin blinked sluggishly, trying to catch his breath around the burn in his throat while he felt like he was on the brink of passing out. He started shaking his head, just for Chan’s grip to start to tighten again. He was sure the fear that he felt was very much visible in his expression, as something akin to sympathy flashed in Changbin’s eyes and he squeezed Chan’s shoulder in warning, prompting him to ease his grip a fraction again.

“Not that I know of.” Woojin managed to rasp out.

“And without you knowing? Could that have happened?”

Woojin had no idea. What kind of question was that even? It was definitely too complex for him to process right now.

“I-I don’t know. Please-” Begging would get him nowhere, he knew that, so he cut himself off. In fact, he was painfully aware that it bordered a miracle he was still alive at all, considering he knew how fast Chan tended to kill whatever enemy pissed him off, and right now _he_ was his enemy, and he didn’t have the answers that would convince Chan of the contrary. The realization of how little kept him this side of death brought on a new wave of tears, even though he hadn’t realized at what point the first had made its way down his face.

“If you don’t know, would you be ok with Chan searching you for an implanted tracker with his powers?”

He was asking permission?! Woojin couldn’t believe it, but his moment of incredulity was clearly interpreted as hesitation from Changbin, who felt the need to hastily tack on the reassurance that “It won’t hurt.”

Woojin doubted that, given the look of murderous intent in Chan’s eyes, and Changbin must have thought the same, giving Chan a pleading look.

“Please, Chan…”

It was ever surprising how weak Chan seemed to be to pleas coming from Changbin or Jisung, as at least some of the coldness that promised misery and suffering disappeared from Chan’s gaze.

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Woojin coughed, swallowing thickly. He regretted the action immediately as it only made him more aware of how tightly Chan was still holding him by his neck.

“Damn right you don’t…” Chan growled, and Woojin winced, tensing up as Chan’s powers slammed into him again. This time they didn’t physically slam his body against the wall, though he wasn’t sure if he wouldn’t have preferred that over the feeling of icy electricity inundating his body, burning through every nerve end while simultaneously freezing him from the inside out, letting him know where exactly Chan was searching at any given moment; and it would seem he wasn’t leaving a single cell in his body unchecked.

Then, suddenly, the intensity of the burn died down, receding until it was reduced to a mere tingle at the base of his neck, which he wasn’t even sure if it didn’t come from the grip Chan was holding him with until that, too, disappeared.

When Woojin’s peeled his eyes open again, he was not expecting the troubled but no longer menacing look in Chan’s eyes, and he certainly wasn’t expecting him to let go of his grip on him. He would have fallen to the ground like a wet rag once Chan’s powers didn’t hold him up anymore, if it hadn’t been for Chan catching him and helping him into the closest chair. He was so confused he couldn’t even think about rejecting the sudden gentleness with which Chan treated him after the figurative beating he’d just put him through.

“What- Are you gonna tell me there is no tracker and you just put him through that in vain? I swear, Chan-…” Changbin started, but Chan shook his head.

“There is a tracker.”

Everyone in the room fixed Chan with incredulous and most confused looks, save for Woojin, who was still busy trying to get his bearings and felt his heart skid past his stomach and feet and coming to a rest somewhere three decks below them, beating fearfully, at Chan’s words.

“What?” He croaked weakly, and Chan gave him a quick apologetic look.

“There is a tracker. It’s not where one would expect to find it, though. And the scar tissue in the area around it… It’s barely traceable in some points. It looks like it’s wandered quite a bit from its original position over the years, too.”

Woojin felt as if Chan was talking gibberish, unable to follow what he was saying.

“What… what does that mean?”

“All things considered, what I’m saying is… it must have been implanted when you were very, very young. Probably only mere _hours_ old.”

Now, Woojin was gaping at Chan, too.

“Oh shit…” Came Seungmin’s voice from behind Chan, and Woojin really, really hoped the kid wasn’t about to do what he feared he was going-

“Knowing our dad, if Woojin has a tracker since the moment he was born, there is a high chance I have one too. I don’t know, I can’t be sure, but, just to make sure I thought I should tell you, just in case-” Seungmin rambled, and Chan turned to face him.

Panic even worse than when Chan had almost choked him to the point of blacking out welled up in Woojin, and even though he had no strength left he found enough somewhere to grab Chan’s arm and hold him back as he started toward his little brother.

“Don’t hurt him!” He rasped, his intended threat turned into a desperate plea.

“I won’t.” Chan answered, his voice surprisingly soft as he pried Woojin’s hands off his arm with unexpected gentleness. “I do know how to use my powers without inflicting pain.”

Woojin let his hands fall back into his lap weakly. There wasn’t much he could do to stop Chan, and he watched anxiously as he walked over to Seungmin. Why, just why couldn’t the kid have stayed quiet?!

“Is it ok f I check you over for trackers?” Chan asked, and at least there was no threat or suspicion in his voice that indicated he’d use the same brute force on Woojin’s little brother as he’d used on him.

Seungmin swallowed thickly, clearly just as nervous as Woojin about the procedure ahead of him, but he nodded firmly. Chan’s hand came to rest against the side of Seungmin’s neck in a way that looked barely firmer than a caress, and thankfully, at least Seungmin’s expression betrayed no discomfort whatsoever.

After only a few moments, Chan retracted his hand and nodded softly.

“You have a tracker, too. Same thing as your brother.”

Seungmin’s mouth fell open in surprise, though not over the news of having a tracker imbedded in his body.

“You found it already? I thought you hadn’t even started looking; I- I felt nothing!”

Chan gave him a small, tired smile, though his gaze wandered to Woojin as he spoke.

“I told you I know how to use my powers without causing pain…”

“What does this mean, now?” Jisung asked the question half of them didn’t dare to even think, and it was Changbin who answered him first.

“Well… I can only confuse all trackers simultaneously after hooking them up to each other…”

Woojin and Seungmin tensed in tandem as they understood the meaning of his words. Jisung, still standing next to Seungmin, patted his shoulder lightly in comfort.

“It’ll be ok… Changbin and I had trackers implanted in our spinal cords, and Chan managed to get them out without us feeling any of it, and without causing any damage whatsoever.”

Seungmin opened his mouth as if to say something, but then snapped it shut again to turn away from Jisung and level Chan with a glare full of distrust. Woojin observed the play of expressions on Seungmin’s face closely as the younger fixed Chan, knowing his brother was trying to gauge his intentions.

“I’ve found you to be innocent; I won’t hurt you while getting those trackers out of you. I promise.” Chan answered to the unvoiced accusation in Seungmin’s expression, and to Woojin’s eternal relief, he could tell from the subtle changes in the way Seungmin looked at Chan that the younger had found Chan was telling the truth.

Woojin cleared his throat quietly, wincing at the pain the action caused him.

“When do you want to get started on getting the trackers out?”

Chan turned to look at him instead of Seungmin, and Woojin found the attention somewhat unnerving. There was no point in trying to avoid it, though.

“As soon as possible.”

“Like… Right now?”

“Preferably.”

Woojin exhaled slowly.

“Ok… I’ll go first, then.”

Chan’s expression became business-like.

“Alright. It’s going to take a while, and I’ll need you to hold still during the whole procedure, so I’d suggest you lie down for it. Let’s take this down to the infirmary, shall we?”

Woojin nodded, getting up on shaking legs. He still felt completely drained of energy from when Chan’s powers had burned through his body, not to mention woozy from the lack of oxygen in his brain, and he groaned inwardly as he remembered how far away the infirmary was from the bridge. Well, it wasn’t actually that far, but to Woojin, in that moment, it was _too_ far. Lying down sounded heavenly, though.

He managed to follow Chan off the bridge into the adjacent hallway on his own, but as soon as the doors closed behind then, he had to lean against the wall for support for a moment.

Chan stopped next to him, wearing an apologetic expression.

“Do you want me to help you?”

Woojin wanted to glare at Chan, but it was too much effort. He also wanted to be able to tell him no, possibly stalk down the hallways ahead of him with a sneer on his face, but that was out of question. Reluctantly, he had to give in, since he did need the help.

“Please.” He managed once he’d bit his resentment back.

Chan helped him pass an arm around his shoulders, steadying Woojin with his own arm around his waist, and together they made their way down the two decks to where the infirmary was located.

Strangely, the further they walked, the more Woojin felt like his energy was returning. It wasn’t until Chan helped him sit on the cot in the infirmary that it dawned on him why that was.

“Have you been replenishing my energy on the way down here?”

Chan averted his gaze while covertly biting the inside of his lips; Woojin saw it anyway, though. After a moment, Chan exhaled sharply, evidently having come to a decision, and turned back to look at Woojin.

“Yes, I have. It’s the least I could do after burning through your reserves like I did earlier.”

Woojin’s eyes widened slightly at the confession; not that he was surprised that that had actually been what Chan had been doing, but the way he said it…

“Oh, what the heck…” Chan mumbled, to himself rather than to Woojin, then cleared his throat quietly and found Woojin’s gaze to hold it with his own. “I’m sorry, Woojin. Really sorry. I-… I fucked up, earlier, and…” He exhaled in a rush, shaking his head. “You probably don’t care to hear my reasoning, do you...”

Woojin was taken aback by the sudden apology, but as much as his emotions warred inside him at Chan’s words, he wanted to give Chan the chance to explain himself.

“Go ahead…” He answered the unspoked question in Chan’s gaze, and Chan inhaled deeply, sitting down in the only chair in the room.

“I… I know I’m kind of paranoid, especially since what happened to Jisung, just before you found us… But I want to protect him, and Changbin; I need to protect them! After everything I’ve lost, they are… they are all I have, and I can’t lose them, too. The thought that there is someone out there who can track our every movement, follow and find us wherever we are… Be it your father, or someone else, someone who might get access to your father’s tracking system, or who could hone in on the frequency of one of the tackers… Like, let’s say, the Alliance, somehow, and the possibility that they’d manage to use it to set up an ambush for us… It is driving me crazy. I can’t live knowing that kind of threat is always looming over those two. I can’t. If anything happens to them… If they d-die, or get caught and sent back to slavery or jail… I can’t bear the thought of either.”

He took a deep, shuddering breath, rubbing his hands over his face shakily.

“That’s-… I know that all that is no excuse, though. And I don’t want to use it as an excuse. I know I overreacted earlier. I-… I completely lost it. And I’m sorry. Really fucking sorry. You didn’t deserve that, and Seungmin didn’t deserve having to witness it. If you… If you’d rather go home and have us leave and find another ship for ourselves elsewhere, I’d completely understand it, and I wouldn’t hold it against you in the slightest.”

Woojin didn’t know if he could accept Chan’s apology just like that, but there was one thing he was fairly certain about.

“Don’t worry about that... I wouldn’t be down here with you to get this tracker out if I planned on giving you the boot.”

Chan could only stare at him in surprise at the certainty and determination in Woojin’s declaration. Woojin felt it was justified, and probably required an explanation of his own.

“I can appreciate your need to protect your crew. The way you feel about Jisung and Changbin, considering the way you talk about them… It strikes me as the same way I feel about Seungmin. And I know I would react just like you, or worse, if I felt Seungmin was in danger. So… I get it.

“Besides… Neither Seungmin nor I are in any hurry to go back to our father’s side. Learning that he had tracking beacons implanted in us as soon as we were born… I feel tempted to throw them in his face myself! It’s like… as if we are property, or something, rather than his children. It… It pisses me off!”

Chan was positively stunned by the vehemence in Woojin’s voice, underlined by the use of the expletive.

“So, yeah. Get those trackers out of us and make him think we are wherever in the universe. I don’t care. After today… I suppose the safest place in the universe for us is probably with you anyway, as long as you are hell bent on protecting Jisung and Changbin.”

As surprising as Woojin’s words were, Chan had to admit to himself that his logic was foolproof. And he was grateful, very grateful for the way Woojin’s mind worked.

“Thank you… I don’t really know what to say… I didn’t expect you to understand…”

The look Woojin fixed Chan with became piercing after a moment, just before Woojin spoke up again.

“But I do understand. And knowing I do, I know you understand how I feel, too. So, let this be a warning to you, Bang Chan: if you ever even think about doing something remotely similar to what you did to me today to Seungmin, my father or the Alliance will be the least of your problems! I don’t have a full-fledged plan on how I will come after you if that ever happens yet, but trust me when I say I will come up with one, and I will make sure it works to perfection, and not for you.”

Chan could physically feel the sincerity in that threat, and he made a mental note to take it seriously.

“As long as my business is with you, I wouldn’t consider going after Seungmin. And as long as neither of you endanger Jisung or Changbin, I see no reason why I would lay hand on either of you.”

Woojin sighed, coughing a little as the extra airflow irritated his throat.

“In that case, we should be good, since I can assure you neither of us is planning on harming either of you.” He managed between small coughs, quickly ending up winded.

Chan looked exceptionally sheepish, fiddling slightly with his hands.

“I, uh… I can heal your throat, if you’d like…”

Woojin raised an eyebrow at that.

“I want to say I’ve had enough of you messing with my throat for one day, but if you really can help with this… I wouldn’t actually be opposed to being able to breathe without being in pain…”

Chan nodded.

“Yeah, I can… Just… Lie down, get comfortable. I’ll go ahead on extracting the tracker once I’m done with your throat.”

Woojin felt weird, not liking how vulnerable it left him feeling to lie down on that cot with Chan next to him, but his body actually relished being able to relax his muscles once he settled into a horizontal position.

Chan scooted the chair closer to the cot, hesitating with a raised hand.

“Uh… Can I?” He asked once his eyes found Woojin’s gaze.

Woojin hadn’t expected Chan to ask for permission to touch him this time around, but he did appreciate it.

“Yeah… Go ahead.”

He knew what was coming, but he still flinched when Chan’s hand touched his neck again.

“Sorry!” They both uttered at the same time. Woojin couldn’t suppress a chuckle at that, and Chan smiled sheepishly. If nothing else, that moment managed to break the tension between them, and Woojin could almost relax as Chan went to work on repairing the damage he had done earlier.

Woojin didn’t feel any of what Chan was doing, just the feather-light touch of Chan’s slightly cold hand against his skin. Eventually, though, he noticed the absence of feeling, namely the absence of pain in his throat and, a while later, neck. The slight headache and dizziness faded away, too, until eventually Chan retracted his hand and sat back in the chair for a moment.

“Better?” He asked when Woojin swallowed experimentally.

Woojin nodded.

“Better. Thanks.”

“Ready to get the tracker out?”

Despite knowing without the shadow of a doubt that he wanted the tracker out of his body, Woojin hesitated.

“Where… where exactly did it end up?” He asked instead of answering Chan’s question.

“Can I show you?”

Woojin nodded, and Chan gently touched a spot rather far down the side of Woojin’s neck, almost where it met his shoulder, just above his collarbone.

“Around here.”

Woojin frowned. That was an unusual place for a tracker, indeed.

“And where did it come from?”

“The back of your neck, just at the base of your skull.”

That was where trackers were usually implanted, as far as Woojin knew. And by the sheepish expression on Chan’s face, so did he.

“You knew where to look, didn’t you.”

It wasn’t a question, but Chan nodded in answer anyway.

“So, earlier, when you- when your powers burned everywhere through my body-…”

“That was me being an ass when I still thought you were lying to us.”

Woojin sighed, shifting on the cot in an attempt to get more comfortable.

“At least you’re honest about it…”

Chan chuckled softly.

“I deserved that… Anyway. Shall we?”

Woojin tensed again, swallowing thickly, and couldn’t bring himself to nod like he knew he should.

Chan’s hand came to lie on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

“It will be ok. It won’t hurt, I promise.”

Woojin took another deep breath, exhaling slowly, before he actually managed that nod that he had been unable to accomplish so far.

“Ok… ok.”

Chan didn’t say anything else, and Woojin waited tensely for him to start. Nothing happened, though, for the longest time. With every moment that passed, Woojin grew more anxious, until he was sure he was just about to explode from the tension in his body.

“What’s wrong?” Chan eventually asked, finding Woojin’s gaze.

“What’s-… Aren’t you going to, I don’t know, get started or something?”

Chan looked puzzled for a second, and then chuckled lightly.

“I’ve started ages ago. I’m about half-way done.”

Woojin’s eyes widened.

“What?! How… How didn’t I feel anything?”

“Because I made sure you didn’t. I control the energy in your body, that includes the energy that travels along your nerves. No energetic changes in your nerves, no nervous signal, and you don’t feel anything.”

Woojin gaped at Chan, then shook his head, though more to clear his confused thoughts than anything else.

“That’s… ok, that’s honestly creepy. Shouldn’t I be feeling at least _something_ of what you are doing?”

Chan shrugged.

“Since I’ve been making sure you don’t, no. But if it would make you feel better, I can allow for at least some signals to go through, so you know what’s going on.”

Woojin frowned.

“Like… what kind of signals?”

Chan hummed, and suddenly, Woojin felt warmth bloom next to where Chan’s hand was sitting on his shoulder.

“Like… this?”

“That’s… what… why is it warm?”

“Because I’ve been working around in the area. Think of it like when you rub your hands together to warm them up when they are cold. That’s basically what’s happening here. Until now, I’ve been manipulating the thermal energy my work around in the area is producing to return to your body in other forms, so you wouldn’t feel the discomfort and not lose any more of your still scarce reserves. If you’d rather I leave it and let you feel it, I don’t mind. It’s one less thing to focus on for me.”

Woojin thought about it for a second, then nodded.

“Leave it. It feels… less wrong than knowing you are doing something but not being able to feel anything at all.”

Chan shrugged.

“Fine by me…”

Silence settled over them again, and Woojin actually found feeling the warmth tingling under his skin where Chan was extracting the tracker comforting; or at least as comforting as it could feel when you knew someone was digging around in your body.

Since he was no longer busy tensing and anxiously awaiting Chan’s next move, though, he was left with only his growing tiredness to focus on, which resulted mostly in him trying to _not_ fall asleep.

“You can go to sleep, you know. You don’t need to fight it…” Chan murmured softly after a while, and it succeeded in startling Woojin fully awake again.

“You can feel _that_ , too?!”

Chan shook his head.

“I _could_ read it in your energy signature if I was focusing on it, which I am not. But since you shudder all over every time you pull yourself away from the brink of sleep, yeah; I can feel it, just like anyone else would be able to even without my powers.”

Woojin exhaled with yet another shudder.

“Your powers are seriously creepy…”

“Your brother can do the same.”

“I never said his powers weren’t creepy, too.”

That was a fair point, and Chan conceded it to Woojin with a shrug, before taping his shoulder lightly twice to bring the attention back to what he’d been doing.

“Anyway, I think it won’t take that much longer until I’m done, but if you want to sleep, go ahead.”

Woojin shook his head, though.

“I’d rather stay awake and go to sleep in my actual bed later. Besides… Won’t you be needing this space for Seungmin in a bit?”

Chan shook his head.

“I need to rest before I can take out Seungmin’s tracker. It takes quite some focus to do this without wounding or hurting you. I’m not going to risk doing either to Seungmin because my brain is too tired. And it will be once I’m done with you.”

Woojin hadn’t considered that, but he was grateful Chan wasn’t going to take risks with Seungmin even though he wanted to get rid of the tracking signal as soon as possible.

They reverted back to silence as Chan continued to work, and despite his determination to stay awake, Woojin was well on his way to dozing off when Chan eventually sat back, moving to scoot away from the cot. The action caused Woojin to jolt back to consciousness, and he would have sat up if a wave of dizziness didn’t keep him pinned down to the cot. He still blinked harshly against the light in the room, trying to make out what Chan was doing.

“All done. Here it is, the little booger. Although… ‘Little’ is a bit of a stretch. Compared to the implanted tracking chips they build nowadays, this is a monster!” Chan lifted a small, clear box for Woojin to see, where a small silvery device about the size of a grain of rice tumbled from one corner to another.

Finally, Woojin managed to sit up, one hand going up to his collarbone to feel for the spot the device must have come out of. He couldn’t feel anything, and he opted to use a tray that sat next to the cot as a mirror to find the spot.

“I can’t feel or see anything…” He mumbled, disconcerted.

“That’s the whole point of me using my powers to extract these…”

Woojin shuddered slightly, adjusting the collar or his shirt.

“Creepy.” He mumbled, and Chan gave him a mildly offended look.

“Well, I could have just used a scalpel and dug it out of you that way, and it would have been much faster and easier for me. But it would also have been messier, and considering how deep this one sat, you would have been feeling pain in the area for days, if not weeks afterwards, and be left with a disproportionately big scar.”

Woojin grimaced.

“Uh… If you put it that way… I guess I’ll take creepy.”

Chan laughed knowingly.

“I thought so! Do you think you can walk on your own, or should I help you again?”

“I don’t know… I’ll try on my own for now.”

*#*#*#*

As soon as the doors to the bridge opened to Chan and Woojin, the chatter inside died immediately. Changbin, Jisung and Seungmin sat huddled together over something Changbin had pulled up on the control desk in front of them and had been laughing over something before Chan had triggered the door-opener. Now, all three heads were turned to the door, giving Chan and Woojin expectant looks as they stepped onto the bridge.

Chan raised the little clear box with Woojin’s tracker, shaking it slightly.

“Got it!” he announced, and Jisung leapt off his seat, ready to take the box from Chan. He grimaced as he studied the device.

“Damn, that’s huge! But at the same time… tiny. Ugh. I wish you could just melt it to a clump!”

Chan hummed understandingly.

“Me too, but we can’t. In fact, I need to you to be extra careful with these two trackers. You can’t connect anything to them permanently. We need to be able to detach them from the whole circuit thing you are building. And I need you to craft something inconspicuous Woojin and Seungmin can wear where we can put those trackers in.”

Everyone gave Chan puzzled looks.

“What? Why would-…” Jisung started, but a hum of realization from Woojin interrupted him.

“We need to be able to wear them when we visit our father. It would be suspicious if our trackers aren’t moving with us while we are there…”

Chan nodded in confirmation.

“Exactly.”

Jisung groaned, but then stretched and cracked his knuckles, moving over to the desk where his earlier handiwork lay spread out.

“Well, I guess at least I won’t get bored…”

Chan moved to sit in one of the chairs when Seungmin got up, hesitating as he caught Chan’s gaze.

“My turn now?”

Chan shook his head.

“I need to rest first. Actually…” He looked around the room, at every one of them “…we all should.”

“Are you sure you are the right person to talk about other people’s sleep schedules?” Changbin taunted with a scoff, and Chan narrowed his eyes at him. Changbin kept his taunting expression, though, and Chan decided to postpone sitting down in favour of tackling Changbin in a half hug, half headlock from behind.

“Are you sure you are the right person to mock your captain’s orders like this?!”

Changbin leaned back as far as he could in Chan’s hold to grin up at him.

“I am the _only_ person who gets to do that; well, other than Jisungie, that is.”

“Yeah, nah. I actually have work to do, I can’t afford getting caught in an octopus-hug for the next five hours.” Jisung’s answer came half mumbled from where the Atalaian was engrossed in tinkering with various tiny wires and circuit boards again.

“You better be grateful I’m too lazy to walk all the way over there right now, you disrespectful child!” Chan muttered with an exaggerated pout while squeezing Changbin tighter for good measure.

“Channie, I was actually working, too, before you came in…” Changbin whined, but Chan didn’t loosen his grip on him. Instead, he turned with him to peer over his shoulder at the desk.

“What on?”

Changbin freed his arms as best as possible to pull something up on the desk to show Chan.

“We were looking for potential new target ships. Seungmin had an idea-”

A weak noise of protest was heard from Seungmin, but Changbin shot him a reassuring look and continued anyway.

“Seungmin told us about how some of his older siblings raid Alliance ships, too, targeting those with specific cargo that they know is needed on planets that suffer the most under the Alliance, and then deliver it to those planets to help the people there. Jisung and I liked the idea, so we decided to try if we could find out more about what kind of cargo Alliance ships relatively near us are transporting, and if there’s anything interesting.”

Chan listened, interested, thinking about the concept.

“That’s… actually not a bad idea. Anything interesting so far?”

Changbin shook his head no.

“No. Just some really random stuff. The last one we checked, the one that seemed the most interesting because it actually offered some resistance to cracking their security, turned out to be an art transport. And I use the term ‘art’ very loosely here, since what they are transporting are paintings, indeed, but paintings of… well…” Changbin stuttered, the tips of his ears flushing pink, and broke off eventually.

From the other end of the bridge, Jisung laughed.

“You’re such a prude, Binnie! Call it what it is: tentacle porn!”

Changbin sagged in Chan’s arms, not just his ears pink, but his whole face now. For that matter, Seungmin didn’t look much better, only Jisung laughing heartily at the other two’s embarrassment and Chan’s equally surprised and flustered expression.

“Just throw me out of an airlock, please. Or better yet, throw _Jisung_ out of an airlock!” Changbin whined.

Chan laughed, pulling Changbin back up into a sitting position as he got over his own flustered state in favour of teasing Changbin.

“Well, interesting indeed! Shall we go after them? I believe we could use some decoration on this ship, still. Give it a bit more of a personal touch, you know what I mean?”

Changbin groaned, pushing at Chan’s arms to get him to let go of him.

“You know what, never mind, I’m kicking _you_ out of an airlock first chance I get! I’m starting a mutiny!”

Chan let go of Changbin with a hearty laugh.

“Ok, no tentacle porn paintings, for now.”

They ignored Jisung’s “Boring!” shout, Chan finally freeing Changbin and moving to sit next to him instead, but he turned to find Woojin and Seungmin on the bridge, waving them over, too.

“I like this idea. We get to piss off the Alliance and do some good at the same time. I want to look into this. Woojin, Seungmin, if your siblings are in this business, too, any chance you know more and how best to go about this?”

Seungmin hesitated, but Woojin sat in the chair on Changbin’s other side, excitement replacing the visible signs of tiredness in his features.

“Well, I’m glad you asked!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work started again, and with that regular updates went out the window... *sigh* I'm sorry. If you feel like finding out what I'm currently writing and trying to gauge when an update might happen, or just want to come chat with me, or want your tl flooded with rts of woojin pics even though I claim to bias chan, or are interested in other randomness, you can come find me on twitter @writtenonwings


	9. Settling In

“Wooow, that’s a big one… Are you sure this is the one we looked up?” Jisung whistled lowly, swallowing thickly at the end of his question.

“It’s a cargo ship, Sung. They are big, but there won’t be many people on it.” Changbin explained, only half focused on Jisung, but Jisung still didn’t relax as he watched the ship grow bigger in the distance.

“Did you manage to dock their external port yet? How long is it going to take?”

Jisung startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. It was Chan.

“Let Changbinnie do his thing, Sung. How about you go down and change into your suit while we wait? Make sure your voice programming works and everything?”

Jisung’s eyes widened a fraction, before he nodded tensely, once, and walked stiffly off the bridge.

“He’s scared.” Changbin commented, still mostly focused on his task of navigating the drone to the Alliance freighter.

“It looks like it, yeah…” Chan sighed, not blaming him in the slightest. He’d been shot on both of their last raids, after all.

Changbin shook his head, looking up at Chan for a moment.

“He really is. Seungmin told me, earlier. He found him wandering about last night when we were all sleeping, and he got up to get some water from the galley. Said Jisung was radiating so much anxiousness he could almost feel it, physically, not just see it with his powers.”

Chan frowned, sitting down in the chair next to Changbin to watch him navigate the drone.

“He doesn’t have to come over to the other ship with Woojin and me; he knows that.”

Changbin scoffed.

“Try telling him that. He’ll probably stab you in your sleep!”

“Probably…”

“You should go find him and distract him until it’s time to dock. I got this.”

Chan debated for a moment but ended up getting up to follow Changbin’s advice. If Changbin said he got this, he got this.

He found Jisung in the locker room, where they stored the combat suits, but he wasn’t alone.

“I’m sure Woojin would teach you, too. If you ask him, he won’t say no to teaching both of us, like I know he will if it’s me asking for myself.” That was Seungmin’s voice.

“He’s really overly protective of you, isn’t he.”

Seungmin hummed.

“Annoyingly so. I wish he was more like Chan, in that aspect. Chan’s protective of you, but he won’t lock you away and actually lets you _do_ stuff!”

That was what made Chan stop in his tracks instead of waltzing into the room himself. His heart nearly jumped into his throat as he debated quickly if he wanted to hear what Jisung had to reply to that or not.

“Chan is… I think it’s because I came with him onto those raids before he started caring about me. I think if I hadn’t come with him from the beginning and wanted to come now, he’d lock me up the same way Woojin does with you.”

Seungmin groaned.

“I need to get better and start coming over to the other ships with you before Chan becomes protective of me, too, and I’ll have to fight _two_ overbearing mother hens!”

Jisung laughed.

“Oh, the horror! Yeah, we can’t have that; I’ll help you. We have to stick together against the mother hen brigade!”

Chan shook his head, half amused, half indignant. He was about to interrupt the two in the room, when he felt a tap on his shoulder that nearly had him jump out of his skin before he twirled around to face whoever it was that had startled him.

It turned out to be Woojin, who rose a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Eavesdropping?” He asked quietly, and Chan spluttered soundlessly, trying to defend himself, when Woojin broke out into a mischievous smile.

“Anything interesting?” He asked in the same tone, inching closer.

Chan didn’t know what to reply, so he ended up shaking his head. Woojin looked almost disappointed.

“You know… Chan kind of has an excuse, since he isn’t used to it yet, so it could easily slip his mind, but Woojin… He should really know better than to try and eavesdrop on me. So much strategizing going on in his head, and he forgets the most basic things about his own brother.” Seungmin’s face appeared in the crack of the door, giving the two of them standing there a disappointed look.

“I-I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I meant to come in and heard you talking about me, so I wasn’t sure-…” Chan tried to defend himself, but Seungmin’s expression remained judging.

“I-” Woojin started.

“You came to change into your suit, noticed Chan standing here and figured you’d try to get some juicy bits yourself. With full intention to eavesdrop.” Seungmin concluded for him. Woojin didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed.

“So, what if I did?”

“You’re terrible. And I have no problem telling you to your face what we were saying behind your back: you’re an overprotective mother hen and you need to relax and stop locking me up ‘for my own good’!”

Upon seeing the expressions of both brothers harden as they stared at each other, Chan decided to intervene.

“I agree with you, Seungmin, but not today. You do need more combat training before coming with us. We’ll figure out a training schedule after this raid, ok? But today, I need you with Changbin, to keep Jisung and Woojin safe.”

Woojin mumbled something that sounded vaguely like he didn’t need anyone to keep him safe, to which Chan gave him a hard look.

“As long as you haven’t learned to deflect blasts aimed at your back with a single side thought, you need someone to watch it, too. End of discussion!”

The vehemence in Chan’s voice was such that Woojin didn’t dare protest in any form, or even just add to his previous statement. The look Seungmin gave Chan for that feat was full of respect, and maybe some admiration, accompanied with an amused glint in his eyes. Chan sighed internally, wondering what kind of sibling fight he had inadvertently gotten caught up in.

“Let’s get suited up, everyone. You too, Seungmin, just in case.” Chan broke the sudden tense silence between them, and Seungmin’s expression morphed to one of incredulity.

“What? Why?”

“In case something goes wrong and someone from the other crew breaches our security and manages to come over here, or for some reason we need you to come over after all.”

Seungmin’s eyes were wide with incredulity.

“That could happen?!”

“Anything can happen, and I want everyone prepared for anything.”

“Is Changbin going to wear a suit, too?”

“He’s already wearing his. He managed to program something in his suit in a way that helps him maneuver the drones. Don’t ask me what, I have no idea whatsoever. I am fairly convinced there is no way he is actually just human, he must have some kind of other ancestry that allows him to communicate with computers in ways that go beyond our understanding…”

To Chan’s relief, Seungmin wasn’t interested in knowing what exactly Changbin had done to his suit, and merely in the fact that he was wearing one, too. Without further complaint, the Taviran brothers went ahead to get changed, too, as did Chan.

“What weapons do you have with you, Jisung?” Chan asked as he was about to retrieve his own.

“Same as last time…”

Chan hummed.

“I’ve been thinking, and I think you should take some web bombs with you. In case you have to run away, you just throw them behind you and they shoot out a web of electricity that will grill whoever tries to run through it and blocks pretty much all handheld blasts. They might not last long, but they could give you the advantage you need…”

Jisung moved over curiously, peering at the little devices Chan was pulling out of a drawer in the wall. The web bombs were about the size of his thumb and pretty light, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt taking a few with him. They might come in handy, and if they helped Chan’s peace of mind without weighing him down, that was at least one win without him even needing to use them.

While Jisung filled a pocket of his suit with the little bombs, Chan went over to Woojin.

“What weapons are you taking?”

Woojin finished strapping what looked like a set of backpack-straps and a wide, pocket-covered belt around himself.

“A little bit of everything. Smoke bombs, tear gas, web bombs, small grenades, magnesium lights.” He patted the pockets of the belt going around his waist as he enumerated his gear. “Also, two blasters, two daggers, throwing stars, short sword, long sword.”

Chan’s eyes widened as the list grew longer.

“Damn… Are you planning something bigger? Can you even walk like that?”

Woojin shrugged.

“I learned to fight without being able to rely on powers that allow me to snap necks without touching people and redirect blasts with my thoughts. I could carry a lot more and still fight and run just fine.”

Chan nodded slowly.

“Ok… If you’re sure… I trust you know what you’re doing. What about you, Seungmin?”

Seungmin gasped audibly.

“Me? I’m getting weapons, too?”

Chan nodded grimly.

“Yes. You need to be able to defend yourself somehow if a situation where you need to do so arises. I want two blasters on you and at least one knife or dagger.”

Woojin looked troubled as Chan chose the weapons for Seungmin, keeping them as simple as possible, but Chan ignored him for now in favour of making sure Seungmin knew how to use the weapons.

“Do you know how to use a blaster?”

“In theory…” Seungmin sounded unsure.

“Ok. Here, if you need to, just flip this piece down, aim, pull the trigger. There is going to be a bit of a recoil, but nothing too major. Just be aware of it so you don’t accidentally drop the blaster. I wish we had time for me to show you before we go, but… Remind me to show you how to shoot first thing before we start anything else of your training, ok?”

Seungmin nodded enthusiastically, letting Chan help him strap the holsters with the blasters to his belt. Once he was done, Chan continued, handing Seungmin the last of his weapons for the day: a knife.

“Knife: pointy end goes into the bad guys.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes but chuckled. Chan squeezed his shoulder encouragingly.

“You got this. We’ll all give our best to make sure you won’t need any of those before you’re ready to use them.” He reassured him, and Seungmin gave him a grateful look. With that, Chan turned to the others in the room again.

“Ok. Everyone ready? Let’s go up and see how far in Changbin has brought us.”

They made their way up to the bridge, Seungmin and Jisung almost darting out of the room ahead of Woojin and Chan. For a moment, Chan thought Woojin wouldn’t come with them at all, and he turned to raise a questioning eyebrow at him. Woojin shook his head, starting to walk, too.

“Is something wrong?” Chan still asked, but Woojin shook his head with a sigh, not quite meeting his eyes.

“No… No. I guess not...”

Chan frowned, but walked in silence next to Woojin for a moment. There was something he had to get off his chest, though.

“Seungmin-…”

“I know.” Woojin interrupted him. Chan rose an eyebrow, shooting him a questioning glance. Woojin didn’t say anything else, though.

“He needs to learn how to defend himself, at the very least.” Chan continued, making sure Woojin really understood what he was talking about. Woojin swallowed thickly, nodding.

“I know…”

To be honest, Chan had expected this conversation to be more painful. Now, he was just curious, though.

“How come he doesn’t already?”

Woojin breathed sharply, shaking his head.

“I was always too focused on learning to fight myself to be able to protect him, so it kind of slipped my mind to make sure he learned, too.”

“It _slipped your mind_?”

Woojin looked a mix of sheepish and annoyed, and Chan couldn’t help but find that was a rather funny looking expression on him.

“Yes, even my seemingly brilliant mind is not perfect; especially when it comes to Seungmin.”

Chan hummed shortly, understanding, and resolved to clap Woojin’s shoulder reassuringly as they approached the doors to the bridge.

“Don’t worry about it; we’ll be able to fix this.”

Woojin stumbled a little in shock, falling behind as Chan strode through the doors of the bridge. Jisung and Seungmin were already there, standing in front of the large windshield to watch as they approached the Alliance freighter, while Changbin was standing in front of his desk, looking tense.

“Binnie? Everything ok?” Chan asked as he got closer, and Changbin jumped a little.

“Oh-… Yeah. Yeah, everything’s fine. The drone docked just fine and I got into their systems and jammed their spotters, but it won’t be long until they’ll be able to see us if they look out their windows. I’m also on stand-by to lock their cannons. I can’t take them offline just yet, they’ll notice something is wrong and could get them running again by the time we are in shooting range. Same with their shields and communication. Let’s hope we can get really close before they spot us, so they won’t have time to send out an SOS. I tried redoing both their and our route, so we can approach them from their blind spot, but I couldn’t do too much. All we can do now is wait and hope.”

Chan smiled proudly, patting Changbin’s back affectionately.

“You did amazing, Binnie. As always!”

Changbin smiled a little tensely, but still sincerely.

“Thank you…”

“Do you want to hail their bridge today?” Chan offered, and just as he had expected, Changbin’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Can I?”

“Absolutely!”

Changbin grinned widely and swooped in to hug Chan tightly, not letting go for a long moment. Once he did, though, he went right back to the chair he had vacated before everyone had joined him on the bridge again, ready to do whatever he needed to and confident once again despite the challenges this ship promised to hold for him.

Chan watched him with affection in his gaze. For the longest time, all they had to do seemed to be waiting, and then suddenly, things got serious.

“Ok, our veiling is useless now; increasing speed. They’ll be able to see us if they look out of a window from now on…” Changbin announced eventually. Chan hummed in approval, getting into captain mode.

“Keep an eye on their communications. Seungmin, can you make out how many of them there are on the ship? And, I don’t know, make out if any of them are distressed and running to alert someone or something like that?”

Seungmin nodded, his focus on the ship they were approaching increasing.

“Not quite yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”

“Perfect. As soon as they spot us, Changbin, cut their communications system and keep their computers busy until we have everyone rounded up. You think you can do that and get us alongside, so we can dock them, at the same time?”

Changbin hummed pensively.

“Depends on how good their security is, and how good the person or people operating their computers are.”

“If you don’t mind… In case you need a hand, I can bring the Esmerilhao into position, so you can focus on their computers…” Woojin cut in, and after a moment of silence, Changbin gave Chan an unsure look.

“It’s up to you. If you’d rather focus solely on the computers and Woojin can do the job, I don’t see a problem.” Chan answered his unspoken question, and Changbin nodded slowly.

“Ok… I suppose… It’s probably the sensible thing to do…”

Chan nodded at Woojin, and he went and sat in the chair beside Changbin, who let him take the controls to maneuver their ship.

“I-… I can make out their crew now. Not how many there are just yet, but everything seems calm so far!” Seungmin suddenly announced.

“Good. Keep watching them.”

Chan’s hands dug into the backs of the chairs Changbin and Woojin were occupying while he waited tensely. Besides him, only Jisung wasn’t doing anything, but he seemed to be taking the wait much better than he was.

“It looks like there are seven people on the ship… And one of them looks troubled.” Seungmin announced a while later, and everyone tensed up some.

“How far out are we?” Chan asked, jaw set.

“Close enough.”

“Ok. Do what you have to do, then, Bin. Seungmin, keep an eye on their crew and keep us updated on where they are; if we can avoid Jisung getting shot again, I’d really appreciate that. Woojin, as soon as you have us close enough for me to dock them, leave it and come down to the docking bridge. Jisung, we’re going!”

Jisung left his spot in front of the window immediately, jogging up to Chan who was already on his way out.

They reached the docking bridge in the precise moment Changbin hailed the other crew.

“Morning, folks! As you might have noticed, I have complete control over your ship. I kindly ask you to surrender peacefully; resistance is futile and will only lead to death and slash or dismemberment. Abandon your stations now and gather in the bay, where you’ll surrender to my crew once they come over.”

“Wow… I didn’t know Binnie could sound so… Authoritative?” Jisung whispered, rubbing his arms as if he’d gotten a chill. Chan chuckled.

“He’s been waiting for this chance for ages, bet?”

Jisung started to answer, when they could hear the other ship’s answer coming in.

“ _You are threatening Alliance forces-_ ”

“I know who I’m threatening, I did my homework, thank you very much! Now get down to the bay and wait patiently for my crew to board you. Or stay where you are and wait patiently for my crew to come take you down… in some way that might not involve you staying in one piece!”

“He copied that one from you!”

Chan laughed.

“He’s been paying attention; good kid!”

“I can hear you two assholes. Get off my case or I’ll mute you for the rest of this raid!” That transmission was clearly only aimed at Chan and Jisung, who laughed in answer.

“Aww, Binnie! We’re just so proud of you…!” Chan cooed, and Changbin huffed.

“Perish!”

He probably would have had more to say if the Alliance ship’s hail didn’t come through again in that moment.

“ _You’ll be in serious trouble if you go through with this, boy-_ ”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever; you can tell my captain that once he comes over. You might have heard of him; I believe you guys call him the Beiran Wraith!” Changbin interrupted the patronizing Alliance soldier, but Jisung and Chan could hear the teasing tone that was clearly _not_ aimed at the Alliance guy in his reply.

“Hey! Seo Changbin! That’s a low blow! And Jisung teased you, too, not just me!”

“I’ll get back at him later; we’re here, focus on docking and the raid for now, losers!”

Chan tsked.

“What, are you the captain now?”

Changbin didn’t reply, and Chan did focus on completing the docking maneuver.

“Whoever was talking to Changbin just now left their position; it looks like the whole crew is going down to the bay. And there really are seven in total!” Seungmin’s voice came through the intercom, only moments before Woojin joined them by the docking bridge.

“Thank you, Seungmin, good job! We’re going over now.”

Just as Seungmin had predicted, once they arrived the seven-headed crew of the Alliance freighter was waiting for them in the bay of the ship.

“Well, hello there! Looks like you guys can take orders after all…! Or can’t you?” Chan taunted, and the captain of the other crew stepped forward, standing protectively in front of his crew.

“We come unarmed and surrender to you; please spare my crew’s lives.” The captain lowered his head to Chan, even though it looked like the action cost him a lot of self-control.

Chan tilted his head in appreciation.

“You _can_ take orders; wow. Let’s try something else: you guys stay right here and don’t move from your spots while we take what we came for. Don’t go thinking just because none of us three are around that you aren’t being watched, though! As soon as you move, I will know about it, and I’ll make you regret it. Got it?”

The captain gritted his teeth, but nodded once, sharply.

“Yes, Sir!”

Chan rose an eyebrow, nodding appreciatively.

“Alright then! Let’s go, boys!”

Woojin and Jisung followed Chan without a word, and they went straight to the cargo. Since Changbin had found out what it was this freighter was shipping, they knew exactly what to expect. It didn’t take them long to relocate what they were going to take to the transfer area, and Woojin and Changbin worked perfectly together to reposition the Esmerilhao in a way that allowed for a direct connection of the cargo bays to transfer the goods. It was before the lunch hour that they were done taking absolutely everything that could hold any value for them from the ship, and they were ready to leave.

In all this time, the crew of the freighter hadn’t moved at all, standing exactly where they had been told to. They didn’t even move when Jisung went and destroyed their engines, one by one, or when Chan fried their computers and half their electronic systems; even if that had them look extremely nervous.

Despite all this, Chan didn’t look happy when they returned to the Esmerilhao.

“What’s wrong, Chan?” Changbin asked after a moment of watching him once they’d returned to the bridge.

“I… I don’t know. I guess I prefer when they are assholes and fight back or piss me off. Like this- it feels like I am the villain here, you know?”

“You’re _not_ the villain, Chan!” Jisung was quick to reassure him, but Chan didn’t look convinced. Woojin cleared his throat softly, chiming in.

“If you were the villain, you’d have killed them in cold blood despite them doing exactly what you told them to. Like this, even with no engines or computer, they still have a chance to get rescued and survive. That is more than what the Alliance grants their own enemies, and occasionally entire species that breathe in a way that bothers them.”

Chan tensed up, even though it was only visible in the way his upper lip became a little thinner; Jisung and Changbin saw it, though.

“I’m going to my cabin. I’ll see you later.” Chan announced quietly, turning on his heels and walking right back the way they had only just come.

Changbin sighed softly.

“You shouldn’t have said that…”

Woojin gave him an inquisitive look.

“It’s still too raw. It’s better he feels guilty and like the villain for a moment, until he remembers on his own why he is doing this, than for us to remind him. He’s still in so much pain, and reminding him of that pain like that… Even if you have a point… It’s too cruel.”

Changbin shook his head, shuddering, before he started after Chan without looking back once.

Woojin stared after him for a moment, at a loss for what to do, when he suddenly felt Jisung’s hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t take his words to heart too much… He’s very protective of Chan; we both are. We are sensitive to seeing Chan in pain and hurting, for whatever reason it may be. So, we try not to do anything that will remind him of the reason for his pain; but truth is, Chan is always in pain, whether someone reminds him of it or not.” Jisung finished his explanation, but it did little to make Woojin feel better.

“I didn’t mean to make him feel worse, though… I’m sorry. Should I-… Should I go apologize?”

Jisung shook his head.

“No. That would only remind him yet again. Let him cuddle with Changbin for a while, and they’ll both be fine again soon. In the meantime, I actually have a request for you!”

“A request…?” Woojin was taken aback, confusion marring his face.

“Yes. I want to ask you to teach me how to fight. The whole lot of it: shooting, knives, swords, bombs, hands, feet, headbutts…”

Woojin frowned at Jisung, but that didn’t deter him.

“I would ask Chan, but to be honest, Chan is not a good teacher in that regard. His fighting style relies on his powers, and so does everything he tries to teach, since to him having his powers is as normal as breathing and he tends to forget I don’t have those powers, too. So, I need _you_ to teach me. I can’t go on not knowing how to fight and defend myself! It makes me extremely vulnerable, and I can’t always hope and wait for Chan or you to come in an save the day. The same goes for Seungmin, by the way. He needs you to teach him, too; we both need you to teach us!”

*#*#*#*

Woojin didn’t want to teach Jisung and Seungmin; at first. The thought of either of them -but especially Seungmin- being involved in a situation where they needed to fire a blaster or brandish a knife sickened him. What sickened him even more, though, was the thought of them getting hurt because they didn’t know how to use the weapons to defend themselves. And so, he gave in.

It was how they ended up in the one empty cargo bay, Jisung and Seungmin both taking turns shooting at a hologram target on the far end of the bay, while Chan stood idly by to catch the blasts and neutralize them before they could wreck any real damage.

“You need to lower your elbows, Jisung. Lower your elbows and relax your muscles. You keep missing the target because you are too tense and keep jerking up the blaster before the blast can leave the barrel. Here, let me show you. Elbow down… there. Now, relax. Relax these muscles, you don’t need them to hold the weapon. Aim… keep them relaxed, Jisung, relax your arm. There. Fire on an exhale, not the inhale. Now, whenever you’re ready; but don’t forget the recoil.”

Jisung tried following Woojin’s advice as best as possible, exhaling slowly and pulling the trigger at the end of his exhale. His relatively lax arm jerked up slightly from the recoil, but nothing major. Still, he was annoyed, thinking it had messed up his shot again, until Woojin clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations.

“There you go! Red circle! You almost got the bull’s eye!”

Jisung’s jaw dropped and he stared in awe at the holo-target flashing the red circle just around the tiny black bull’s eye in the middle.

“That was amazing, Jisung! Woojin, help me, too! Please!” Seungmin begged, and Woojin turned to help his brother.

“Legs further apart, Min. Left leg forward, right one a little back… There. Shoulders down, relax your back. Good job with the arms, keep them like this. Aim, and fire on the exhale.”

Seungmin fired, and only missed Jisung’s shot by a hair-width.

Chan watched proudly as both Seungmin and Jisung steadily improved their shots through the different techniques Woojin was teaching them. Soon, he became mildly bored, though. It wasn’t like he could leave them on their own if he didn’t want the back-wall of the cargo bay riddled with scorch marks and holes, but it didn’t take that much focus to keep up an energetic barrier behind the holo-target…

With a few subtle changes, he adjusted the barrier to catch the blasts and settled into the seat behind the small, one-person control desk against the wall. He could use this time more effectively if he went ahead and helped Changbin search the downloaded information he’d gotten from the last two ships for something useful…

Chan made good progress that way, focusing mostly on the stolen documents, reports and logs, but a small fraction of his attention remained in tune with the energy in the bay, especially on his barrier. Still, he was quite distracted from the target practice, so much so that he barely heard the blasters go off anymore. That was, until-

“Wait, Jisung, caref- CHAN!”

Chan’s head snapped up, and he only had a split second to raise a barrier in front of him to absorb the stray blast coming right at him.

Deafening silence hung heavily in the bay once the blast fizzed out in Chan’s barrier, three pairs of eyes staring at him. Woojin and Seungmin stared in silent shock, while Jisung…

Chan abandoned his post quickly, hurrying over to where the three were standing. He arrived just in time to catch Jisung before his knees gave out under him.

“Chan-… Chan, I’m so sorry! Oh, no, no no no, Chan! I’m so sorry! Sorry... Sorry, Chan, I didn’t-…”

Chan caught Jisung against his chest, holding him in a tight hug.

“I know, it’s ok. It was an accident, nothing happened.”

Jisung shook his head, burying his face against Chan’s neck and clinging to him tightly while Chan ran one hand soothingly through his hair.

“I know it wasn’t on purpose, it’s ok. And it didn’t hit me. It’s all good.”

“But it could have- It could have. It could have hit you, it could have k- Chan!”

Chan hummed soothingly.

“It could have, but it didn’t. I’m here and I’m ok. Just keep that aim for our enemies instead from now on, ok?” He joked softly, and Jisung hit his back weakly.

“Not funny, Chan!”

“Good thing I was being serious. What were you even doing for that blast to come at me instead of the target?”

Jisung sagged a little in Chan’s hold, burying his face further against his shoulder.

“Doing the ‘running away, turning and shooting who’s behind you’ exercise… But I tripped on a cargo holder ring that wasn’t completely flipped down, and pulled the trigger accidentally.”

Chan hummed in understanding.

“Ah, that one. Well, see it as a lesson to always keep an eye on where you’re going before turning around. Now, let’s do it again to prove you can do it without tripping?”

Jisung actually pulled back to stare at Chan incredulously.

“You’re not serious, are you? My legs are jelly right now!”

Chan squeezed his shoulders encouragingly.

“Even better. If you are ever in a situation where you need to do this maneuver, there is a good chance your legs will feel like jelly then, too. You couldn’t get better practice conditions!”

“Chan…!”

“Jisung…!” Chan imitated Jisung’s half whine, but continued in a softer, encouraging way. “If you don’t pick up that blaster right now and prove to yourself that was just an accident, you’ll carry that scary moment as a reminder with you, and it’s going to hold you back forever. We can’t have that. So, come on. I’m paying attention now, nothing can go wrong. There is nothing to fear.”

Jisung stared at Chan as if he’d lost it, but Chan was dead serious.

“Woojin… hand me a blaster.” He asked over Jisung’s shoulder, and Woojin only hesitated minimally before complying.

Chan let go of Jisung, taking his hand in his instead and placing the blaster in it. He held his hand with the blaster as he moved to stand behind him, guiding Jisung’s movements.

“Let’s do it together first. We’ll practice the turn without running for now, slowly. You know how to do it. Just do everything like Woojin taught you. Grip firm but not tense. Muscles in your arms relaxed. Shoulders down, elbows down, blaster aimed at the floor in front of you. We turn on the foot of the side you’re holding the weapon with, and gain momentum with the other… Left foot down, arms up, exhale- fire!”

Jisung yelled as he pulled the trigger, screwing his eyes shut.

“Yellow ring, well done!”

Slowly, Jisung peeled his eyes open again, seeing that the yellow ring of the target was indeed flashing. Chan hugged him from behind, Chin resting on his shoulder as he grinned widely.

“That-… That was you, wasn’t it?” Jisung asked breathlessly, and Chan huffed, offended.

“Excuse me?! If I had directed that blast, it would have hit dead center! Nah, that was your doing!”

Jisung tried giving him a disbelieving look, but he couldn’t be sure Chan saw it from that angle. If he did, he ignored it, unwinding his hands from around Jisung’s torso to go back to his arms once again.

“Let’s do it again, just a little faster. Relax your arms, shoulders, back… Momentum with the left foot, turn on your right… Left foot down, arms up, exhale-”

Jisung fired again, the blast narrowly missing the target and fizzling out in Chan’s barrier behind it.

“Close enough. Again!”

Jisung focused, again and again, until Chan stepped back and he did the exercise on his own, even while running.

“That’s just four millimeters off dead center! Amazing, Sungie!” Chan cheered with Seungmin at Jisung’s latest attempt, and a small smile broke out on Jisung’s features, stance finally relaxed as he panted slightly from repeating the exercise so often.

“Great job, Sung! Shall we call it a day, or do you want to try getting dead center?”

Jisung hesitated.

“One more try?”

“Go ahead!”

Jisung went back to his starting position, repeating the movements once again. The blast missed the center by a few millimeters again, and Jisung huffed, but locked his blaster.

“Done?”

“Done. For now.” Jisung trotted over, handing Woojin the blaster and going to hug Chan.

“Ew, you need a shower!” Chan laughed, and Jisung pushed him.

“You suck!”

Chan laughed harder, pulling him into a short hug.

“You did really well, I’m proud of you. Go on and take a real shower, and make it a long one. You deserve it! I’ll clean up around here.”

Jisung smiled at Chan’s heartfelt words, hugging him back shortly before letting go and heading for the door. Next to Chan, Woojin sent Seungmin ahead, too, who followed after Jisung. Woojin didn’t leave with him, though.

“You can go clean up, too. There isn’t much to put away down here, anyway…” Chan offered, but Woojin shook his head.

“I don’t mind. And I want to check the blasters before putting them back… You did a great job there with Jisung. I was afraid he’d swear off blasters for good after he almost hit you…”

Chan hummed in agreement.

“It was a hit or miss… no pun intended. He could very well have refused and resisted, and that would have been it for him and blasters.”

“He probably would have; if it’d been me trying to convince him. With you, though… You have a way with the boys.”

Chan sighed fondly.

“Do I, now…”

“You do… You’re a great captain, Bang Chan.”

Chan turned to give Woojin a slightly amused look, head tilted.

“I am? You sure? You’ve only been under my command for a few days… On one of which I almost killed you!”

“I suppose the ‘almost’ is part of why you are a great captain…”

*#*#*#*

Chan and Woojin ended up splitting training Jisung and Seungmin, and sometimes Changbin, in different combat techniques. Changbin only joined them rarely, and they all got the impression he wasn’t quite as defenseless and untrained as he let on when he sparred with them. When Seungmin asked him if he had any prior combat experience after he’d successfully deflected and countered a rather dirty move from Chan, though, he drily stated that he didn’t want to talk about it. They left it after that.

Another thing Chan and Woojin split -and in this one Changbin participated with much more enthusiasm- was looking through the information gathered from the Alliance ships. Changbin was also particularly invested in learning more about the Rebellion’s database, and gladly helped Woojin add what valuable information tidbits they managed to find into it. Meanwhile, Chan joked that between Woojin and Changbin, soon they wouldn’t need the database for information anymore, as the two tended to remember pretty much everything they learned without the help of a computer.

As they collected information, Woojin made it a point to inform Chan directly of everything important he found, and Chan decided to return the courtesy. Soon, the two could be found awake until the early morning hours, huddled together over documents and logs to discuss their potential importance. On more than a few occasions, it took Changbin hacking their personal devices to shut them down along with every other screen on the ship for them to finally go to bed.

Changbin valiantly stood his ground against an upset Chan who growled at him to ‘make everything work again’ in those occasions. Woojin didn’t even try to convince him, figuring out that Changbin’s strategy against them was fail-proof enough that it could have been one of his own. The computers on this ship were Changbin’s domain, and he was starting to doubt anyone but Changbin would ever be able to have full control over them ever again; without him, they were lost, and might as well go to sleep.

Chan always ended up giving in, too, at the very latest when Changbin pulled out his dirtiest tactic: a sad pout, accompanied with a few quiet, worried words about how Chan needed to take better care of himself; for Changbin. Please.

Eventually, between combat training and poring over documents, they reached the planet they had chosen to deliver the cargo they had alleviated the Alliance freighter of. It was a small planet, mostly deserted and reliant on shipments from elsewhere, since it barely had enough water to make the atmosphere breathable and grow a few endemic plants that kept it that way, never mind grow any plants to sustain the population.

Said population consisted of a few thousand people of different species that lived in a subterranean tunnel system, mostly former innocently incarcerated prison inmates that had been rescued or broken out of their prisons and were in hiding until they were no longer searched after. Apparently, the natural magnetic field of the planet made trackers essentially useless, making it the perfect hide-out. Sadly, it also made it impossible for many ships to land and start from the planet, which meant shipments of food and other essentials made it there way more rarely than ideal.

The shipment the Esmerilhao delivered was nearly cause for euphoric celebrations, and the genuine gratitude the inhabitants showered Chan and his crew stayed with them, warming their hearts, long after they had left the planet again.

Chan was especially touched by the gratitude they had received. Not that he let it get to his head, but it genuinely moved him, stirred something in him… Something he had thought dead. He couldn’t name it, but once he felt it, he felt an urgent need to protect it, to nurture it, and to hold on to it tightly.

Behind his back, or wherever else Chan couldn’t hear them, Changbin and Jisung called it a purpose; a new purpose for Chan, besides his need for revenge, and they, too, vowed to protect and nurture it however they could.

One little drop of bitterness came with the visit to the small planet, though, and it came in the form of Woojin’s troubled expression one morning as the rest of them were all gathered for breakfast in the galley for once.

“What’s with the long face?” Jisung asked around a mouthful of pancake stuffing his cheeks upon spotting him.

Seungmin whipped around to his brother so fast Changbin flinched in sympathy for his neck, for he was sure the young Taviran must have pulled several muscles with that movement.

Woojin sighed, slumping into one of the chairs around the table as he accepted a plate of pancakes from Chan.

“I know that face… Tell me I’m wrong about that face. Woojin…!” Seungmin sat up straighter, his expression pleading and worrying the other three. Woojin shook his head, though.

“You’re not wrong…”

Seungmin’s shoulders drooped as his face fell and he sagged into his chair, pancakes forgotten.

“What is going on…? Someone care to explain?” Chan asked with a frown, sitting down, too.

Woojin reluctantly sat up a little, taking a deep breath.

“I talked to my father…” he started, and Chan nodded.

“You said you would. So?”

“He heard about us touching down in Quiaios… And about the apparent dynamics of ‘my crew’.”

Chan rose a skeptic eyebrow at that for a second but remained silent.

“And now… Now he wants to meet you. Meet us. Aka, he wants us to come over for ‘a visit’.”

Seungmin let out a whine that sounded pained, but otherwise, it was silent around the table.

Chan’s jaw set, and he chewed pensively on the inside of his lower lip for a moment before nodding.

“Well… If daddy dearest wants us to visit, we will visit him. It’s probably for the best that we finally get to meet the man who threatens to pickle our toes if we happen to not protect his sons from so much as a papercut, anyway!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame Chan for the use of words I never thought I would ever use. I guess I have one (1) bias to give away, since I cannot claim mine anymore. Will now take offers for a new bias.
> 
> (Kidding. I love my Channie despite his questionable life and word choices. Don't tell him that and give him ideas, though!)
> 
> Side note: Come chat with me on twitter @writtenonwings if you want to, I'm a lonely bean in this fandom but too anxious to start conversations myself!


	10. Not Every Father is a Dad

To say Chan wasn’t happy with the prospect of meeting Woojin and Seungmin’s father was putting it mildly. It wasn’t that he was angry, or outright upset, but…

“You’re sulking.” Changbin stated drily.

“I’m not.” Chan sulked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Changbin merely rose an accusing eyebrow at Chan, and the captain frowned.

“I’m not sulking!” Chan reiterated, adding a pout to the mix. Changbin nodded slowly, barely biting back a knowing smirk.

“I am _not_ sulking, Changbin! I’m just-…”

“You’re just…?” Changbin prompted when Chan broke off and didn’t elaborate further.

“I’m just… not a fan of having someone not on this ship decide where we should and shouldn’t go.”

“If I remember correctly, it was you who decided we should go visit him…”

“ _After_ he demanded we do so!”

Changbin nodded slowly.

“Well… You could have decided that we won’t go, though…”

Chan shook his head with a sigh of defeat.

“I can’t, and you know it. It was part of my agreement with Woojin.”

“If it was part of the agreement -which you agreed to, otherwise it wouldn’t have been an _agreement_ \- and you knew it would happen sooner or later, why are you so upset about it?”

Chan huffed, not liking being confronted with logic in that moment.

“Can’t I just be upset about it?!”

“Of course, you can. I have nothing against it, except that I wish there was no reason for you to be upset, as you know. What I think you should consider, however, is how your open sulking is affecting the other members of our crew.”

“I’m not-”

“You’re not sulking, I got it. You are merely frowning and huffing and puffing and glaring at nothing all day long just because. Whatever. That kind of behavior of yours is seriously affecting the overall dynamics of our crew, though. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed among those glares of yours that Woojin and Seungmin have been avoiding you like the plague; or rather, as if they fear you’d blast them to pieces with a single glance, since that is what you look like these days.”

Chan went to snipe back but stopped himself short, a pensive crease forming between his brows.

“I do-… They have?”

Changbin sighed, sinking back into his chair in defeat.

“Yes, Chan, they have. If you hadn’t been so busy with your non-sulking, you would have noticed; and you would also have noticed that both Woojin and Seungmin are at the very least just as unenthusiastic about us visiting their father as you are. And if you had noticed that, I am sure you would also long since have decided to go and talk to them to figure out why that is, so you can prepare yourself and us for what we should expect and how to act.”

Chan gaped at Changbin, feeling massively called out. He had indeed not noticed the shift in behaviour in his crew, too busy with himself. Changbin was right, as much as that smarted, and he needed to do exactly what Changbin had suggested. Swallowing thickly, he nodded slowly as his entire demeanor changed from the sulking (not-sulking!) to a more determined stance.

“You’re right.” The words weren’t easy to say, but Changbin deserved to hear them. Did he have to look so smug, though? Well, he did have every right to…

*#*#*#*

“Come in.” Woojin answered to his knock, and Chan followed the invitation, just to be met with an incredulous look from Woojin on the other side of the door.

“Oh… I thought it’d be Seungmin knocking. I wasn’t- You normally don’t come knocking here. Sorry.” He explained his startled expression, and Chan paused.

“Would you rather I don’t come in?”

Woojin shook his head, motioning Chan to step inside.

“No, no, it’s ok. I was just surprised. I- You must have a reason to have come looking for me.”

Chan nodded.

“I do. If you have a moment, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Woojin nodded, indicating the single chair in the cabin for Chan to sit on while he sat on his cot. Chan took the seat and took a deep breath.

“Changbin has ever so kindly pointed out that I have been too far in my own head to realize what’s going on around me lately; though he may have worded it slightly differently. He also pointed out to me that you seem to have your own reservations about us going to pay that visit to your father, which is what I’ve come to talk to you about.”

Woojin swallowed thickly, staring at the floor under Chan’s feet as he nodded.

“I do have some reservations, yes… You could also say I really hate having to do this.”

Chan chuckled.

“At least we have that in common, huh?”

Woojin looked up, taking a moment to gauge the expression on Chan’s face before allowing himself a small, slightly bitter smile.

“Yeah, I guess… I’m really sorry about that…”

“It’s ok. A necessary evil, right? But while you know why I am not fond of the concept, I wonder if it’s ok to ask why you and Seungmin are so upset about it?”

Woojin nodded.

“Yeah, it’s not a secret; at least we don’t mind not keeping it a secret to you. I feel like it’s not my place to tell you the more personal details of why Seungmin doesn’t like going to visit our father, but I have no problem telling you my own and our shared reservations: the main one being that our father is a controlling, manipulative asshole.”

If Chan had had something to drink in that moment, he was sure he would have spit it out at once.

“Wow… ok.”

Woojin sighed, forcing himself to relax and smooth out the creases he’d made in his sheets underneath him upon fisting his hands in them earlier.

“There is that. Then there is the fact that, well, to him, I-… we… We’ll have to, uhm, pretend, that-…”

“That you’re the captain of this crew.” Chan finished for him and Woojin exhaled shakily, nodding uncomfortably.

“Yes.”

“I told you I don’t have a problem with that, right? It’s a title I never strived for and that holds no deeper meaning to me. We all know I’m not exactly a conventional captain and that in this crew, we handle things a little… differently.”

Woojin nodded again.

“I know… Changbin said the same thing, but I still… I don’t want to overstep boundaries or anything, but while pretending… I honestly don’t know how I am supposed to act. I am no captain, which is the whole reason I found you to begin with! And I don’t want to do or say or agree to something wrong, you know…”

Chan hummed pensively.

“Well… First of all, we should come up with a cover story we can all adhere to, so we don’t contradict each other. You’re the captain, alright, but who’s first mate? Me or Seungmin?”

Woojin thought about it for only a second.

“You. Father won’t be pleased that it’s not Seungmin, but I’ll explain it away that it is only fair since you were captain before me, and are far more experienced than Min.”

Chan nodded.

“So, second mate is Seungmin?”

Woojin shook his head.

“Changbin. Father knows Seungmin has no experience navigating or directing anything else on the bridge. I’m hesitant to make him third mate in my story, or give him any rank at all, actually. I’m tempted to just tell Father the truth that he is our hidden ace to coordinate raids, but with no rank at all.”

“Ok… What about Jisung?”

“Chief Engineer, of course.”

Chan rose a brow.

“Really? Don’t you need a license to call yourself that…?”

“Officially, maybe. But we’re pirates. Who cares about licenses when Jisung is probably better than most licensed chief engineers out there?”

A small, proud smile tugged on Chan’s lips.

“True that. Alright. We’ll let the others know about their new ranks later. Now…”

“Now, I still don’t know how to actually _act_ like a captain.”

Chan chewed on his lip in thought, following the flight of a bird on the screen mimicking a window at the back of Woojin’s cabin with his eyes as he thought.

“I can’t exactly teach you that… Just… act like no one can tell you what to do and there are no consequences to your actions? Wait, no, terrible advice. Act like your word is law and we all are just waiting for you to tell us what to do. And like the weight of the universe is actually resting on your shoulders.”

“Now _that_ won’t be hard to do… Won’t even have to pretend. As for the orders…”

“We’ll follow what orders you give us where your father and his people can see or hear us, don’t worry about it. I trust you won’t order us to do anything unreasonable.”

Woojin swallowed thickly.

“Yeah, I… I don’t intend to. I’m worried, though, that my father might ask something of us… And I don’t want to make decisions that affect all of us.”

Chan thought about it for a moment, tapping his chin in thought.

“Well. If it’s something small he asks you to do, something we can fit between raids and that doesn’t affect how we usually work, just agree. If it’s something we can just ignore without consequence, agree, too. If it’s bigger… Say you want to think about it, analyze the implications, something like that. And then we can discuss it later with everyone.”

Woojin sighed, defeated, but nodded.

“Ok. I’ll try my best. I just hope he really doesn’t ask us to do anything for him. I… I don’t want to do anything for him.”

Chan got up from his seat, reaching out to pat Woojin’s shoulder encouragingly.

“We’ll figure this out, one step at a time, when we know what exactly we are dealing with. You’re good at that. Just wait until you have more information to work with, and we can figure out a perfect plan.”

Woojin looked up at Chan with an incredulous expression, but it soon melted away to give way to a somewhat flustered one.

“Uh… Thanks…? I- Uh, you’re right, probably…”

Chan smiled down at him.

“Damn right, I am! We got this!”

He sounded so sure of himself, of them together, that Woojin was able to actually believe him; despite knowing his father.

Chan, too, felt much better once he left Woojin’s cabin a while later. He’d managed to not just encourage Woojin, but also regain a sense of control over the situation by starting to work out their plan of action. He no longer felt like he was being ordered around, and it made all the difference to him.

*#*#*#*

The base of Kim Hyunsuk’s fraction of the Rebellion was slowly becoming more and more discernible as they approached it.

They were all gathered on the bridge, Seungmin and Jisung having abandoned their combat training a while ago; Seungmin to change into what his father would consider appropriate attire (even though Seungmin looked like he wanted to throw the decorated Rebellion uniform into the next best dying star), and Jisung to finalize his project with the small trackers, making them wearable again for Seungmin and Woojin.

Now, they were all looking up and at the base they were approaching.

“That looks so… weird. Is there even any logic behind the way it is built? It looks like a mountain of scrap metal piled up, just random parts stuck together…” Jisung commented, and to everyone’s surprise, Woojin laughed.

“You’re not that far off, actually…”

Jisung’s eyes widened in surprise, and Chan and Changbin directed curious glances at Woojin, too.

“Well, it’s not exactly scrap metal. Not really. About the random parts, though… The base is actually not a real base. In fact, it’s made out of ships. About a hundred, sometimes more, sometimes less, all docked together. If the base is ever under attack, all the ships are manned and disperse in no time, making a single, devastating attack impossible.”

“Damn… That’s brilliant!” Chan whistled lowly, and Jisung nodded in agreement.

“The coordination skill is on another level… Doubly impressive since there is no common computer system doing it. As far as I can tell all the docked ships have their own, independent systems. Am I right?” Changbin asked, not looking up from his desk.

“You’re right. And the coordination… That’s one of our sisters’ doing. It’s kind of her power, coordinating large numbers of pretty much anything logically and efficiently.”

“That’s… incredible, really. Taviran minds are really something else.” Changbin was in awe, but so were the others. Chan was the first to shake himself out of his stunned admiration.

“Really incredible, no doubt. But, uh… We’re arriving soon, aren’t we; Jisung, how far are you along with making those trackers wearable?”

Jisung nearly jumped out of his skin at his work station, scrambling to get his bearing.

“Ah, yes! Uhm, in fact… I think I might be done…”

“Oh?” Chan jogged over to Jisung, looking at the scattered materials and wondering what Jisung could possibly mean. Jisung quickly helped him out by picking up what looked like little more than the tracking device, if Chan was being honest.

“Since all kinds of jewelry are apparently out of question, clothes buttons and the likes are also risky, and not even shoes are safe from being asked to be taken off or changed, I went with the one kind of personal item that is supposedly secure to embed the trackers in: personal links. This casing will protect the tracker from any influence from the link, fuel it with the minimal energy it needs to function and allow it to send and be traceable without hick-ups. Now all I need to do is embed them in the links and we’re good to go!”

Chan only understood about half of what Jisung was explaining.

“W-what? What’s wrong with jewelry and such?”

It was Woojin who answered him as he came over to hand Jisung his link to hide the tracker in.

“Our father won’t allow any of us to wear any kind of jewelry since he deems it decadent and frivolous. Most of us do it anyway, but not where he can see. That’s why hiding the trackers in jewelry was a no.”

“And since he’s paranoid about being spied on, he sometimes randomly makes people, including his children, change clothes before talking to us. Including shoes. But since our links are supposedly super secure or whatever, that’s where we’ve decided to hide the trackers. He never makes us leave those behind.” Seungmin added, handing Jisung his link, too.

Chan was more than a little taken aback by all that information.

“Huh… Paranoid much, your old man?”

“You have no idea…” Woojin sighed, watching Jisung implant the camouflaged tracking device in the insides of his link before handing it back. He’d worked so carefully there wasn’t the most minor of traces that the casing of the link had ever been opened, hiding the tracker perfectly.

“Guys, we’re being hailed! Woojin, you should probably take this!” Changbin called from the control desk, and Woojin paled several shades.

Chan squeezed his shoulder encouragingly before letting him go to take the place at the desk Changbin quickly vacated for him.

“Captain Kim Woojin of the Esmerilhao, please complete authentication to be given docking permission.” A bored voice sounded, to which Woojin answered with what sounded like a code of letters and numbers without logical pattern.

“Permission granted. The Admiral wishes to see you and Mr Seungmin immediately upon arrival. There will be someone waiting at the docking bridge to escort you.”

Woojin confirmed that he understood before cutting the transmission. Next to Chan, Seungmin huffed quietly.

“Of course, he would… Let’s not give us even a second to breathe…”

His words gave Chan pause.

“Actually… Wait a moment before leaving the ship once we arrive. Don’t leave immediately.”

Woojin turned to give Chan a questioning look.

“You are captain of this ship and going to leave your crew behind for an undefined length of time. It is only natural that you would have a whole set of orders to give us for that time. Not to mention you have a bunch of security measures to take.”

Woojin nodded slowly, swallowing thickly.

“Right…”

Chan gave him and encouraging smile.

“You got this, Woojin.”

Woojin nodded again, and after taking a deep breath, seemed at least a little more confident.

“We’re docking soon… I can bring the ship in.”

“Ok, go ahead...” Chan encouraged, but Woojin didn’t turn to the controls just yet.

“There is something you should know while you’re on your own here… Father has some people working for him who might be able to detect lies. There is a good chance you will be confronted by some of those people while we’re gone. So… try to be as vague or as close to the truth as possible whenever you’re talking to anyone. We have to tread very carefully here…”

“Ok. Thanks for the heads up. We’ll figure something out.”

Woojin nodded gratefully, his gaze meeting and holding Chan’s for a moment before he finally turned around to the controls and maneuvered the ship towards the signaling docking bridge on a large, heavy fighter.

The docking went smoothly, even though Woojin was shaking when he got up from his seat. Chan frowned at the sight; he was fairly sure that that shaking had nothing to do with the docking maneuver, and everything with the impending meeting with his father. His theory was only cemented by the fact that while Seungmin didn’t look as physically sick as his older brother, he probably couldn’t look any less enthusiastic about the family reunion, hints of stress marring the younger’s face, too.

Chan hated it. He hated that he had absolutely no say in this matter, and there was no way for him to go with the brothers to keep them safe from what was distressing them. He hated that he couldn’t tell their father to suck it and hide them somewhere else in the universe where he would never be able to find them until they wanted to be found. He felt helpless, and that was the worst kind of feeling for him.

“Woojin…!” he called before Woojin could walk past him, stopping him with a hand on his arm.

Woojin stopped, meeting Chan’s gaze with a question written in his eyes.

“Whatever happens… If you decide you want to leave for any reason, at any moment, go against your father’s will, and even if it’d mean a life on the run -well, even more on the run than we already are- just give me a sign and I’m getting you out of here. If you antagonize your father in any way, I’m here for you; we’re here for you. You can’t fuck it up in any way we’re not willing and prepared to deal with, ok?”

Woojin looked surprised, but at the same time relieved when he let out a breathless chuckle, and a small smile turned his lips up.

“Thank you, Chan…”

Chan patted his shoulder softly.

“You’re welcome. The same goes for Seungmin, too, by the way. Now, go do your worst; both of you. We’ll be here.”

*#*#*#*

Woojin and Seungmin hadn’t been gone for long when a jittery boredom overcame the remaining three.

Jisung tinkered around aimlessly with the leftover parts on his work station, stacking and sorting them according to logics that Chan wouldn’t have been able to discern even if he’d been paying close attention, before gathering them up and taking them down to wherever he was storing his supplies in the belly of the ship.

Changbin repeatedly declared he was going to take a nap, but never got up from his chair, instead checking and double checking that no one was able to breach the security of their ship.

Chan stood motionless at first, then started pacing, and eventually decided neither option satisfied him and headed to the galley to whip up some food for the three of them. He was just about done when Changbin’s voice came over the intercom.

“Chan, there’s someone at the bridge, demanding access to the ship and our logs!”

A fierce frown descended over Chan’s face.

“Abso-fucking-lutely no!”

“Well, of course ‘no’! But what do I say?”

“You can tell them ‘abso-fucking-lutely no!’”

“Chan…! Seriously, now!”

Chan groaned, turning off the convector he was using to heat the food.

“I’m coming, hold up.”

By the time he entered the bridge, Changbin was already on the comm again, but this time with the docking bridge.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Sir. I don’t have permission from my Captain to let anyone onto the ship, nor am I allowed to give access to the logs.”

_“And I am telling you, Captain Kim Woojin himself granted me that permission already!”_

Chan growled lowly where the microphone wouldn’t be able to pick up the sound at those words. Both him and Changbin knew what the other was saying was bullshit.

Changbin sent him a desperate look, begging for help, but Chan shook his head.

“Keep going! You got this!” he mouthed, just to get a very pissed glare from Changbin, who turned back to the desk to answer the Rebellion official.

“I am not in a position where I can act without getting those orders from my Captain myself, Sir.”

The official remained quiet for a moment, but the video feed Changbin had pulled up on the screen in front of him showed him probably cursing while the microphone was muted.

_“What is your rank, boy?”_

Changbin’s expression hardened, but Chan squeezed his shoulder in warning, so he wouldn’t say anything wrong.

“Second Mate.” Chan mouthed, and Changbin repeated it through the intercom.

_“Alright, Second Mate. As First Mate to the Admiral, I out-rank you, and-”_

“With all due respect, Sir, I only take orders from superiors in my own Captain’s crew!” Changbin interrupted him, and Chan had to bite his knuckles to keep from laughing at the shocked expression on the man’s face. Even Changbin had to bite his lips, suppressing a chuckle.

_“I demand to talk to your superiors!”_

“My Captain is currently unavailable, Sir.”

With every ‘Sir’ Changbin tacked on, the word sounded more and more mocking, and Chan found he had rarely found anything quite as amusing; Changbin, on the other hand, looked like he would rather bite his tongue off than utter the word ever again.

 _“I know that! I was referring to the First Mate!”_ The ‘smartass’ was sub-intended in the answer, and Chan was near choking on his silent laughter at the point. Changbin took the time to turn around and kick his shin between replies, but not even that managed to calm Chan.

“Also currently unavailable, Sir. I am the only mate around.”

Chan broke, a mix between a snort and a cough escaping him and he had to bury his face in his arms to keep from making any more noise. The man outside also reached the end of his patience.

 _“Your Captain will be hearing about this insubordination, boy!”_ He threatened in one last attempt to get Changbin to cave in.

“I am sure he will, Sir.” Changbin replied politely, and the man huffed, only visible in the video feed, and turned to leave.

Chan and Changbin waited for a few more moments, until they were sure the guy was gone, before they dared breathe freely again.

“What the fuck, Chan!” Changbin near yelled, and Chan finally let his pent-up laughter out. “You could have helped me out there, you know?!”

Chan shook his head, wiping at tears of laughter.

“No, Binnie, you did _amazing_! I couldn’t help you, it had to be all you; I’m sure he was one of those lie detectors Woojin warned us about, and only you could have said all that without lying.”

“You could have at least not stood there laughing like an idiot!”

Chan laughed again, shaking his head once more.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re right! But… His face!”

Changbin huffed, lips pulling up in the right corner in the beginnings of a smile of his own.

“I _know_! It was already hard enough not to laugh in his face _without_ you cracking up next to me!” Finally, Changbin let a laugh of his own out, kicking at Chan once again. “Fuck off, Chan!”

“Hey! Your captain will be hearing about this insubordination, boy!” Chan mocked the official, jumping out of the way of Changbin’s kick.

“Will he now! My captain is about to get his ass handed to him if I get my hands on him! Stand still so I can kick your shin like you deserve!”

Chan laughed as he jumped out of the way again, darting towards the doors of the bridge just as they opened to let Jisung in.

“Sung, save me!” Chan jumped behind him, grabbing his shoulders to put him between himself and Changbin.

“W-what…?” Jisung blinked, confused, stumbling as Chan kept using him as a shield against Changbin.

“What did you do to piss Binnie off? Let me go, I don’t want to die! I just came to ask what the food on the convector in the galley was for and if I can have it!”

Chan stopped for a moment.

“Oh, right! I was cooking before I was so rudely interrupted! I was making tata-root gratin; enough for all of us.”

Changbin stopped chasing him, too, standing just in front of Jisung. He tilted his head in question, fixing Chan with a glare that told him that he had one chance, and one chance only to get out of this unscathed, and it all depended on whether he gave the right answer or not.

“With eggs?”

“With eggs.”

“Heck yeah! Let’s eat!”

*#*#*#*

Woojin swallowed thickly, probably for the five-hundredth time since coming back to the Esmerilhao.

Chan had told him about the Rebellion official who’d tried gaining access to the ship and how they had handled it; actually, he’d been able to witness the whole thing, since Changbin had pulled up a recording of the exchange. They had handled it well, much to his relief. He doubted anything bad would come out of that.

In turn, though, he had had to tell Chan how meeting his father had gone. Well, Chan hadn’t forced him or asked specifically, actually, but Woojin had felt the need to be honest with him and relayed the events, as objectively and with as little grueling detail as possible. Then again, he suspected his efforts had been futile, since apparently Chan could see right through him anyway.

He hadn’t told Chan how clearly his father had voiced his distaste for ‘hiring another captain’; he hadn’t told him how his father had accused Chan of having no backbone for agreeing to work under Woojin. And yet, he was fairly sure Chan could read those from in between the lines as Woojin outlined the conversation roughly.

He hadn’t told Chan about the speculations his father had voiced about Chan’s possible motives for agreeing to the deal they had made, either, nor about his suggestion to ‘get rid of him’. Those, Chan probably didn’t suspect, yet those were the ones that Woojin was still trying to gather the courage to tell Chan about. He wanted to warn him, promised himself he’d do it before they left the ship…

And leaving the ship was something they were about to do, since his father had requested the whole crew to join him for dinner. None of them were fooled into believing the request was a friendly gesture, all of them acutely aware that this would be more of an interrogation than a dinner; one they had been briefed about repeatedly and in detail during the past few hours, Woojin relaying every bit of information he had given his father about them, so they didn’t contradict him about anything.

Now, they were on their way to gather before going over to the ship their father would be waiting on, and Woojin’s time to stall telling Chan about his father’s suggestion and warn him to stay alert was running out.

As luck would have it, he almost ran into Chan on his way to the bridge.

“Whoa, Woojin, you ok?” Chan caught Woojin by the shoulders, helping him catch his balance.

“Huh-… Oh, yes, I- I’m sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to- wasn’t looking. Are _you_ ok?”

Chan nodded, almost impatiently so, his gaze worried and not leaving Woojin.

“I’m fine. Are you sure you are, though? Because I could have sworn you were looking at me, yet apparently you weren’t seeing me just now. Something on your mind?”

Woojin exhaled shakily, averting his gaze. It was now or never, he supposed.

“Actually… Yes. My father-…”

Chan’s hold on his shoulders tightened a little, comfortingly so.

“It’ll be ok, Woojin; with all the preparation we have, we’re going to be formidable actors. He won’t suspect a thing, I’m sure…!” Chan reassured him, but Woojin shook his head.

“No, it’s not that! I’m- I trust you’ll do well keeping to the cover story, but no, that’s not what I meant. I… I need to warn you, actually.” There, it was out. Partially, at least.

Chan frowned, the look in his eyes dropping several degrees to an almost cold glare.

“Warn me?”

Woojin swallowed thickly, for the five-hundredth-and-first time now.

“Y-yeah… My father… He’s very suspicious of you, and your motives to agree to this deal with me. He… he doesn’t like the idea of you, as ‘former captain’, staying as part of my crew. He suggested, and I quote, to ‘get rid of you’. I tried convincing him that that is not wise at all, since I do need you as advisor and valuable crew member, but I’m afraid that he might try to take matters into his own hands while we’re here.” He rushed out past his heart beating frantically in his throat, almost making it impossible to breathe, never mind talk.

Chan didn’t react for the longest time, and it was the most nerve-wracking thing for Woojin. Then, his fingers dug softly into Woojin’s shoulders for a moment once again, before he let go and dropped his hands with a small nod.

“It makes sense… Of course, it makes all the sense. He would be foolish not to consider the possibility...” Chan mused, then directed a small smile at Woojin. “Thank you for warning me. I have a feeling that wasn’t easy for you, but thank you for trusting me -and valuing me- enough to warn me.”

Woojin let out a long breath that felt as if it had been lodged deep inside his lungs for a very long time, and with it, a lot of the anxiousness he’d been feeling seeped out of his bones. It was visible, too, if the look Chan gave him was any indicator.

“I’m sorry this stressed you out so much… I promise you don’t have to fear telling me anything ever again.”

Woojin could tell what Chan was alluding to, and he was about to reassure him that being choked and slammed against a wall wasn’t his main fear when thinking about telling him about his father’s intentions, but he never got the chance since Changbin left the bridge and joined them in the hallway.

“You’re still here? Anyway, I’m done securing the ship, we can go now. Seungmin and Jisung are already by the docking bridge, I think.”

Wordlessly, they walked to the docking bridge, too, joining Jisung and Seungmin, who were indeed already waiting for them, and Woojin took the lead to guide them to where his father was expecting them.

Introductions went smoothly, Admiral Kim Hyunsuk appearing to be a most charming host, though his warped questions and remarks didn’t go unnoticed. Still, Chan, Changbin and Jisung did a remarkable job pretending they didn’t notice them and navigated around the minefield as if they had never been doing anything else. The one who was suffering the most, still, was Woojin, though.

It was crystal clear that his father was testing him, and Woojin was sure he would soon get cramps in his neck and shoulders from trying so hard to _not_ look at Chan, who’d been placed across from him at the table, for guidance every time his father prompted a question or a topic that was vastly out of his comfort zone. Somehow, in quite a few of the trickier moments, Chan, and often Jisung, sometimes Changbin, managed to save the situation by serving as major distractions. None of them cared if the Admiral thought of them as uncivilized clutzes who had no idea how to use eating utensils or behave at a table, exclaiming loudly about unfamiliar spices in the food and sending their utensils tumbling and flying ever so often. Woojin cringed at their attempts, but at the same time he was extremely grateful for the reprieve and time it bought him to think about his answers.

Among such turbulence, the dinner progressed slowly, but without major hiccups. That was, until Chan felt Changbin stiffen uncharacteristically next to him, pulling out a small device to check under the table.

“What is it?” Chan whispered under his breath, trying to peer into Changbin’s lap to see what had the other frowning.

“Someone’s trying to get into our ship!” Changbin hissed, showing Chan his link that was displaying a video feed of someone trying to force the seal of the docking bridge, and an alert that listed a number of failed attempts to breach their ship’s security system.

Chan’s jaw set and his gaze darkened, but he hastily worked to smooth out his features before taking the link out of Changbin’s hands. Under the table, he gently kicked Woojin’s shin while at the same time calling out for him.

“Captain…!”

Woojin’s head snapped around to face Chan, and he winced as his neck protested the movement he had been resisting this whole time.

“Yes?”

Wordlessly, Chan handed him Changbin’s link, and after only a short glance at it, Woojin’s gaze hardened as he understood.

“Father, why is there one of your men trying to break into my ship?”

If the Admiral was surprised by the accusation, he didn’t show it. He didn’t try to deny it, either.

“Ah, that… There have been… inaccuracies, with the trackers on your ship, you see. I sent one of my specialists to take a look at them, make sure they are still working fine.”

Woojin blinked owlishly at his father, and Chan sent a quick prayer of thanks to Belize that the rest of the crew acted either disinterested in the topic or as confused as Woojin, remaining unsuspicious.

“Inaccuracies…?”

The Admiral hummed.

“Indeed. There was an incident a few days ago that showed you passing just through the outskirts of the Verride cluster, when one of my sources reported seeing you on Quiaios.”

Woojin frowned pensively.

“That is… strange indeed…” He conceded, looking up when Jisung cleared his throat from next to him.

“Quiaios’ magnetic field is known to affect most technology, including technology like trackers and other communications devices. That’s one of the main reasons why so many prison fugitives and former slaves choose it as their home, isn’t it? It could have affected our trackers to a point they showed a completely faulty position… Have they shown any irregularities since we left Quiaios?” The last question was directed at the Admiral himself, who spluttered a little at being addressed unprompted by someone so far below his rank.

“Not as far as I know… I was considering comparing your logs with the tracker data I have received to make sure there haven’t been other irregularities, hence why my men were trying to get access to the Esmerilhao.” He deigned to answer, though he directed his words at Woojin rather than Jisung.

Woojin looked none too pleased with that information, the lines of his face betraying his stress and anger. Under the table, Chan reached out with his foot, tapping lightly against Woojin’s shin. Had it been his hand rather than his foot, the touch could have been described as gentle; whether it was meant to be comforting or a warning, Woojin didn’t know, but it helped him reign his expression in.

“You could have asked me, Father, and I could have told you whether the data corresponds with our journey.”

“That is true… I suppose I didn’t want to bore you with those details during your stay. I would still like to compare the data I have with your logs, if possible? It would ease my worries greatly.”

There was no doubt that it was an order, not a request, and it was causing Woojin to break out into more nervous sweats than he cared for.

“I suppose that is a good idea… We wouldn’t want to be floating around in outer space in case anything happened, needing help, but being completely off everyone’s radar…” Changbin mumbled, shuddering as if the mere thought scared him. Woojin relaxed a degree as he got the message: Changbin got this.

“I will make sure to let you have a copy of our logs, Father. Now, is it really necessary for your men to keep trying to break down my door, or…?” He pointed out the video feed on the link in his hands, and his father shook his head.

“No, of course not. Why don’t you go call them off yourself, and get me a copy of those logs while you’re at it?”

Another order, veiled as suggestion. And a quite clear one at that. Immediately, the rest of Chan’s crew perked up with attention, even if invisible to an outsider. This was about to get interesting, Woojin clearly being shooed away to leave them without his protection to the Admiral’s grilling. He wasn’t fooling any of them. Still, Woojin had no choice but to heed his father’s order, and he stood to carry it out.

As soon as he was out of the room, the Admiral addressed Chan.

“So, First Mate… Bang Chan was the name, right?”

Chan looked up, meeting the Admiral’s gaze fearlessly.

“That is correct.”

“I have been wondering… You were captain before you decided to join my son’s crew… What prompted you to give up that rank so readily?”

A weighed question, one Chan had been expecting. He smiled serenely, setting down his utensils to focus fully on the Admiral.

“Ah, that… You see… I never planned on becoming captain. I had my ship, and no crew. It was… coincidence, you could say, that I picked up who would later become my crew along the way.” He nodded at Changbin and Jisung, while at the same time handing Changbin his own link under the table while it could be disguised as an unconscious gesture in his general direction. Changbin needed to contact Woojin, who still had Changbin’s link with him, asking him to buy him time, so he would be able to manipulate their logs.

“Anyway, since I never aimed for the rank of captain, I harbor no special affection or greed for it. And since Captain Kim Woojin and I share the same goals, I see no reason why I should hold on to a title or rank that means nothing to me, if letting go of it means I can continue to pursue my goals, and more efficiently than before.”

The answer took some of the wind out of Admiral Kim Hyunsuk’s sails, but he didn’t give up yet.

“So, it doesn’t… _bother_ you to take orders from my son instead of being in charge yourself?”

Chan shook his head.

“No, Sir. Our Captain is a very sensible man, and his orders reflect that.”

“What if he ever gave you orders you don’t agree with?”

“If I have any reservations about my Captain’s decisions, I will of course bring them up to him. We have long since figured out that our differences can easily be solved through talking them out, to the benefit of the whole crew.”

Across the table from Chan, Jisung coughed violently, swiping his cup to the floor in his attempt to reach for it.

“I apologize, Sir… The spiciness of these beans keeps catching me off guard…!” He wheezed once he managed to catch his breath and get the food that had gone down the wrong pipe back on track.

Chan sent him a warning glare, which Jisung answered with a hidden smirk, but a promise in his eyes that he would do his best to behave.

The Admiral hid his anger over the interruption well, turning back to Chan.

“So, you openly defy my son?”

Chan shook his head.

“Of course not, Sir. I can easily tell when there is a time and place to bring up reservations, and when to follow orders. It is merely that I am uncontestably the more experienced one between us in the field we chose to work in, and as such it is my duty to offer my Captain advice, for his benefit as well as the whole crew’s, and to guarantee the success of our missions.”

The Admiral seemed to chew on that answer for a moment, then decided to accept it and turn his attention to Jisung and Changbin instead.

“I see… And your crew… Your former crew members… Second Mate and Chief Engineer, was it?”

Changbin and Jisung looked up, bowing their heads respectfully.

“Yes, Sir.” They answered in unison.

“How do you adapt to the change of Captain you work under?”

Jisung cleared his throat first, sitting up a little straighter when a sliver of panic flashed in Changbin’s eyes.

“As for me, my duties haven’t changed significantly since the change of Captain, so I didn’t see much of a need to adapt to anything except the layout and needs of the ship.”

The Admiral looked as if he’d found a foul-tasting bean in his food, but masked it well to anyone who wasn’t paying too close attention; Chan still noticed it, as did Jisung. Neither showed it, though.

“If it ever came to a fall-out between your Captain and First Mate Bang Chan, who would your loyalties lie with, Chief Engineer?” The Admiral decided to drop pleasantries and cut to the chase, it seemed.

It took Jisung by surprise, but he caught himself quickly.

“That is a question I can not answer with certainty, as I don’t know the answer myself. I owe First Mate Bang Chan my freedom, and my life. And yet, it is thanks to Captain Kim Woojin that I can still work at what I know best, and in a way, I suppose I owe him my life, too. I highly respect both of them, and until either of them does anything to lose that respect, I will not be able to choose with whom my loyalty lies over the other.”

The answer was unsatisfying for the Admiral, but it was an answer he couldn’t contest, and his focus shifted to Changbin.

“What about you, Second Mate?”

Changbin looked almost bored as he answered.

“My loyalties lie with my job, the crew, and the cause. My specialty are computers, so I am not much of a fighter. The crew protects me, I protect them. We share a goal, and as long as that goal doesn’t change, and no one compromises the safety of the crew as a whole, I don’t see why I should place my loyalties in any one person specifically.”

Now that was an answer that left the Admiral even more unsatisfied than Jisung’s, and Chan was almost proud of his boys. He found a certain kind of satisfaction in grating on the stuck-up Admiral’s nerves.

Before the man could interrogate them further, Woojin appeared in the room once again, interrupting the conversation as if completely oblivious to them.

“Ah, I apologize, father, I couldn’t get a copy of the logs just yet. You see, my Second Mate happens to be one of, if not _the_ best computer technician in the known universe, and I can never seem to remember how to get around the security systems for my own ship without his assistance. At least not for something as highly secured as getting a copy of the logs. If you don’t mind, I’ll go back with him now to get them.”

Chan was quite sure the patience of the Admiral was starting to wear thin, but he felt no remorse. That changed somewhat when the Admiral seemingly found a new target to take out his displeasure over the fruitless dinner conversations in Woojin.

“Don’t bother; you can run them to me later. I’d like a word in private with you.” He turned to the rest of them. “If you’ll excuse me; it was a pleasure to meet you, but I have other important matters to attend, so I won’t be able to join you for dessert. I am sure Seungmin won’t mind showing you the way back to the ship once you are done eating.”

Chan tensed almost imperceptibly. Just like earlier that day, he didn’t like the prospect of not being able to be with any member of his crew when they were facing the Admiral, regardless if they were his sons or not. Actually, he had a feeling he liked it even less if they were his sons, and he really, really didn’t like that Woojin would be left alone with that unpleasant man this time around, without even Seungmin around.

Once Woojin and the Admiral left, the remaining four had little hunger or enthusiasm for dessert left. Out of politeness, each of them ate a few bites of the sweet treat, but none of them finished before returning to the ship.

*#*#*#*

Chan went straight to his cabin upon returning to the ship, deciding the others didn’t need to see his restless pacing as they waited for Woojin to return. He would only serve as a distraction, in Changbin’s case, who was working on writing a version of their logs that matched the route the trackers had sent, or cause unnecessary stress for Jisung and Seungmin, despite both of them having announced they’d be retreating to the cabins, too.

He had barely shut the door to his cabin behind himself, when his link buzzed with an incoming call. ‘Changbin’, the caller read, and Chan almost carelessly answered, when he remembered it was still Woojin who had Changbin’s link. If Woojin was calling him, though, why wasn’t he using his own link?

Chan could only come up with two explanations, and those were that he must either not want anyone to know that he was calling Chan, or he wasn’t able to use his own link. Since Chan didn’t know which was the case, he resorted to picking up the call without a greeting, opting to listen first.

It was a good thing he did, as it seemed Woojin was still in the middle of the conversation with his father, and Chan quickly muted his own link, just in case anything noisy happened on his side.

“You can not trust them, Woojin, I am warning you!”

“You keep saying that, father, but why? Have you seen anything that tells you that?”

“I don’t need my powers to see that they are not trustworthy! I asked them about their loyalties, and not one of them could give me a straight answer!”

“Well, what did you expect? For them to declare they are only loyal to me while sitting at the same table as their former captain?”

“If they were loyal to you, yes!” The Admiral nothing short of barked. “You need to get rid of that Beiran, Woojin. He will only bring you grief, and he’s a hazard to both your and your brother’s safety!”

“Again, why do you say that?” Woojin didn’t relent, and Chan figured there must be more behind that question than it let on, something Woojin was trying to get out of his father.

“He is only using you for your ship, son! You are only there to help him with his own agenda!”

“That is not news to me, father. It has been part of our agreement from the beginning that he and his crew become part of my crew and work on my ship, so they can continue what they had been doing until that point, which is raiding and eliminating Alliance ships. Which is exactly what we are doing and planning on continuing doing.” Woojin sounded almost bored.

“He will soon grow tired of being under your orders and get rid of you and Seungmin to keep the ship for himself. Why would he tolerate you as his captain if he could be captain himself?”

“Seungmin and I have proven our worth to him. Both our powers have since helped greatly in refining their methods, maximizing our profit and damage to the Alliance. We work together in planning our raids and choosing which communities to aid, as well as coordinating the crew. Bang Chan’s experience is of utmost importance for me to find my footing as captain and be of use for the Rebellion. I am not going to get rid of him.”

A heavy silence followed for a few long-stretched moments.

“You are a fool, Kim Woojin. Your stubbornness is clouding your own powers, or you would be able to see through the Beiran’s strategy!”

“My powers are working just fine, and it is because I see through his strategy that I know I have nothing to fear from him!”

A slapping sound resonated, like skin on skin, and Chan was on his feet in the fraction of a second, ready to storm out and find Woojin and his father and get the former away from the latter. The voices coming through the link stopped him, though.

“You do not talk to me like that! I am trying to get through to you for your own safety! The Beiran must have ulterior motives, and you will find out what they are, and make sure he does not get what he wants, _before_ he moves you and Seungmin out of the way!”

It took a moment before Woojin answered again, and Chan could tell it was through gritted teeth.

“His ulterior motive is that he needs my ship; but he could get any other ship he wants in a heartbeat, if he chose to. We have agreed from the beginning that we will work together for now, but should our goals change, so would our paths; peacefully. He is Beiran; Beirans know no greed, nor senseless cruelty. He would not harm me or Seungmin over something as easily obtainable for him as a ship.”

“You know the worth of your ship-”

“But he doesn’t. Nor does he care!”

“-and he is certainly no stranger to senseless cruelty; have you seen his record with the Alliance?!”

“I have, and I have witnessed him during raids. He doesn’t kill or harm senselessly. He has no ulterior motives I am not aware of.”

Again, silence stretched between them for a moment.

“A man with no ulterior motives is even more dangerous than a man with them, for you never know what his goals are, and how to use them to control him.”

“Now you are just contradicting yourself-”

“I never said you shouldn’t use others; I said you need to make sure _you_ aren’t used by others!”

Woojin remained silent after his father interrupted him, and his father continued.

“You can’t trust anyone, Woojin. You always need to make sure you are in control, that you control what others want from you, and that there is no way for them to obtain it other than through loyalty to you. Only like that can you be sure they won’t betray you and stab your back.”

Another long silence stretched between them, before Woojin’s voice sounded again.

“That is sick. That- you. Your powers left you so jaded that you have become the thing for others that you fear the most for yourself!”

A short scuffle was heard, and then Woojin’s voice again.

“You will not hit me again…!” His voice was cold, colder than Chan had ever imagined it could become.

Even colder than Woojin’s voice, though, was the humorless laughter from the Admiral that followed.

“You are pathetic, Woojin. You, and your naïve morals and ideals. You are a failure; a waste of a captain.”

Woojin sounded unfazed by the words and the coldness in them when he spoke again.

“Maybe. Maybe I suck at being a captain; I’ve only just become one, after all. I may have a lot to learn, still, but the one thing I have learned already is that as a captain, my main responsibility is my crew. And I will stand by my crew, and I will not go behind any of their backs. I will not ‘get rid’ of any of them, nor will I allow anyone else to do that for me. You come for them, you come for me first. If that was all you had to say to me, I am taking my leave now.”

No one spoke again for the longest time, and then the sound of a door shutting heavily broke the silence. Chan thought he was able to discern footsteps echoing through hallways and on stairs, and he decided to leave his cabin, too. His steps led him down to the bay with the docking bridge, where he waited, listening for anything else coming from Woojin through the link. There was nothing but the footsteps, and so he waited.

Eventually, he could see Woojin entering the docking bridge from the other side, and activated the mechanism to open the door for him while ending the call at the same time.

Woojin stood in the open door, his gaze falling onto the link still in Chan’s hand.

“You heard everything?”

Chan nodded silently, and Woojin sighed, resigned, before stepping into the bay and closing the door behind himself.

“I’m sorry about that… I felt I couldn’t do it by myself anymore...” He swallowed thickly, averting his gaze, but not before Chan saw the shimmer in his eyes.

Without thinking, Chan stepped forward, closing the distance between them to wrap his arms around the Taviran and pull him into a hug. Woojin didn’t resist, his head sinking against Chan’s shoulder, but he also didn’t return the hug; not that he was opposed to it, but it would have required a strength he felt he didn’t have at the moment.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Chan asked quietly after a while, and Woojin merely nodded. It took a while longer for him to pull back and stand up without leaning against Chan again, and he did so with a deep, shuddering breath.

“Thank you.” He near-whispered, and Chan lifted a hand to brush the tips of his fingers faintly against the outline of the hand-shaped bruise that was forming on the side of Woojin’s face.

“Let’s get out of here… Before I do something stupid, like attempt to slam that bastard into a wall!”

A faint smile ghosted over Woojin’s lips, and he caught Chan’s hand in his, holding it in place rather than letting Chan lower it again just yet.

“Let’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come chat with me on twitter if you feel like it uwu   
> @writtenonwings


	11. Ok... Ok?

Chan knocked softly on the doorframe to the galley, not wanting to startle Woojin, who was preparing breakfast for himself. Even so, Woojin jumped a little.

“Oh! Good morning. Do you want some, too?”

Chan shook his head, stepping into the room.

“I already ate, just came for some tea. Mind if I join you?”

Woojin shook his head.

“Not at all.”

Chan worked quietly on brewing himself some tea next to Woojin while the other finished making his breakfast. They sat in companionable silence for a while, Woojin eating and Chan waiting for his tea to cool to a temperature he could drink it at without burning his mouth.

“Changbin’s decided to keep running dual logs to cover the tracker positions, just in case your father decides to still ask for them.” He informed Woojin when he was finally able to take the first real sip of his tea.

Woojin nodded absentmindedly.

“Thanks… I-… I honestly don’t know if he’ll still want them, to be honest…”

Chan hummed non-committedly, and they lapsed back into silence.

“Did Jisung tell you he found a new tracker on our ship? In the attachment module of the docking bridge.” Chan eventually broke the silence again, and Woojin nodded.

“Yeah, I heard. What’d he do with it?”

“He fixed it a few centimeters to the side, on your father’s side of the module. Made it look like it’d been fixed there by accident in the first place.” Chan grinned into his mug, and Woojin chuckled.

“An honest mistake… Happens to the best of us. Whoever put it there is going to get demoted in rank, probably.”

Chan shrugged.

“Not our problem.”

“No, it isn’t…” Woojin sighed deeply, and Chan decided this wouldn’t do.

“Woojin… What’s bothering you?”

Woojin’s gaze snapped up, surprised.

“Ah… Nothing…”

Chan rose a sceptic eyebrow.

“Nothing.” He repeated, a statement. Woojin grimaced, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

“Well, not nothing, obviously. But… I don’t know. Well, I do know, actually, of course I do. But… are you sure you want to know? I don’t think I should bother you with it…”

“I asked, didn’t I? It’s been bothering you ever since we left the base, and if it is enough to keep that frown on your face for two days, of course you can ‘bother’ me with it!”

Woojin sighed again, rubbing his hands over his face. He didn’t answer immediately, taking a moment to collect his thoughts.

“It’s… I’m worried.”

“I figured that much…”

“About Seungmin.”

Chan sat up a little straighter, worry beginning to take root in him, too.

“Seungmin? Why? Is there something wrong with him?”

Woojin shook his head quickly.

“No, no, he’s fine. It’s... My father. I’m worried he is going to take him away from me; demand Seungmin to come live with him.”

Chan’s features hardened, but he didn’t say anything, sensing that Woojin wasn’t done yet.

“You know, I basically raised Minnie… We grew up together, he’s always been there, as far back as I can remember. And when my mother got sick… I was eleven, maybe twelve. I took over taking care of Seungmin, and myself, to lessen the burden for her. Then she got worse, and I took care of her, too. And when she died… Seungmin was only ten, and I’d just turned fourteen. It’s only ever been the two of us, together, since then.

“Our father made sure we had a place to sleep and money for clothes, food, essentials, but it’s always been me making sure we actually had all of that. I’ve always done everything I could to keep any struggle away from Seungmin, so he could grow up happily, and I didn’t mind at all as long as I could keep him away from our father.

“I… I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but… Our father and Seungmin… Seungmin has never done anything wrong. He’s always been a model child, studious, hard-working, uncomplicated. But he could never do anything right in our father’s eyes. To him, Seungmin will always be lacking, because… He wasn’t born the way our father wanted him to. He’s not… not ‘Taviran enough’ for him.”

Chan blinked slowly.

“What… how?”

Woojin scoffed slightly.

“I don’t know how much you know about Tavirans, but our DNA is supposedly extremely dominant. When a Taviran has a child with someone from another species, in most cases the child will turn out like a full Taviran, cancelling out all traits from the other parent’s species. But Seungmin… He retained some of the traits of his mother’s species; whichever that was, because we know nothing about her.”

Chan frowned.

“Your father never told him anything about her?”

Woojin shook his head.

“Not even her name. He never cared for any of our mothers, they were always just a means to bear children for him. With Seungmin’s he must have made a mistake, though, since her species’ DNA wasn’t fully recessive to Taviran DNA. And he has always blamed Seungmin for it, and made sure to let him know he believes he is ‘tainted’, in some way.”

“What an asshole…”

“Tell me about it... But Seungmin still carries our father’s genes, so he still claims him as his child, tainted or not. And as such, he has expectations for him. And I’m worried… really, _really_ worried that he’ll demand Seungmin come back to him, where he’ll have to endure our father’s scorn day in, day out, with no reprieve. I can’t… I can’t bear the thought.”

Chan nodded in sympathy.

“Understandable. I wouldn’t-… No, I _don’t_ want Seungmin under that influence, either. We’ll figure out a way to keep Seungmin safe from that, if your father ever decides to make that demand. We’re not going to let Min stew in that misery; absolutely not!”

Woojin looked at Chan with wide eyes, taken aback by the vehemence in his tone.

“You didn’t think I’d just let Seungmin wander off to live with that abusive asshole, did you?”

“I- I…” Honestly, Woojin didn’t know what he’d expected.

“Min is part of my crew, and he is a sweet kid. I’m not going to allow some bigoted prick to trample all over him, not even if that prick is his father! Hey…” He leaned forward, placing his hand over Woojin’s that was resting on the table and squeezing it comfortingly, finding and holding his gaze. “We’ll keep him safe. Together.”

After a heartbeat or two, a small smile tugged at Woojin’s lips, and he turned his hand under Chan’s to squeeze back.

“Thank you…”

“Chan, you still in the galley?” The intercom sparked to life with Changbin’s voice suddenly, interrupting Chan and Woojin’s moment.

“Yeah. Why?” Chan answered.

“I need you to come to the bridge, immediately. If you know where Woojin is, bring him, too. We have a situation here!”

Woojin and Chan shared one look, then got up at the same time to dispose of their used dishes and powerwalk up to the bridge. Not even two minutes later, they were there.

“What’s going on?”

Changbin only looked at them for a second before sending the image from the desk in front of him up to the holos.

“We’re being tailed. This ship has been staying just at the edge of our radar, but it’s come closer over the past ten minutes.”

“We’re not ready for confrontations of any kind; Jisung and Seungmin are even still sleeping! Prepare to get us out of here, full speed if necessary; as fast as possible either way. I’m going to wake the others to get suited and armed just in case. Woojin, you go suit up, too, and bring Changbin’s suit up when you’re done!”

He turned away to leave, but Woojin stopped him.

“Wait, I know that signature!”

Chan spun on his heels, turning back to where Woojin and Changbin were leaned over the command desk.

“You what?”

“That ID, on the rump of the ship. Changbin, can you find out if they are signaling?”

“At this distance? Doubtful…” He tried anyway.

“We’re not going to sit here waiting for them to come any closer to find out about their ID-” Chan started, but he was interrupted by Changbin.

“They are! They’re using an amplifier, they must really want us to be able to pick it up…”

Woojin reached in front of Changbin, tapping something on the desk, and exclaimed a moment later.

“I knew it! I do know this ID. It’s the ship from one of my sisters!”

Chan stared at him in bewilderment.

“Your sister…? Why would she be tailing us?”

Woojin shrugged.

“I have no idea. She’s one of the ones that aren’t in my father’s good graces, though…”

“Meaning?”

“I’m not sure…”

Chan shook his head.

“You can try contacting  her, but we are not slowing down. And I’m still going to get Jisung and Seungmin suited up, and want you two suited, too.” With that, he finally left the bridge, sprinting down to their sleeping quarters to wake the two youngest of the crew.

When he made it back onto the bridge a while later, he was just in time to hear the last note of a radio transmission.

“It is my sister. She says she heard what happened at the base and she’d like to talk to us; to me and Seungmin.”

Chan frowned but refrained from making a decision just yet.

“What do you think about that?”

Woojin swallowed thickly.

“I’m not entirely sure. She’s no longer favored by our father, but she heard what happened already. I… I don’t think she’s a threat, but…”

Chan shook his head.

“Not good enough. Try to find out about her intentions first.”

Woojin spun around again, hailing his sister.

“For what purpose do you wish to meet with us?”

The answer came almost immediately.

“I mean you no harm, little brother. I wish to talk to you about what happened at our father’s base, and the consequences you have to know that will have for you, as well as let you in on a few… family secrets, you could call them, now that you are no longer under his direct influence. I know we’ve never been close, but for better or for worse, we are family and supposed to watch out for each other. I want to make sure you know who you can turn to in case you need help. Of course, I could tell you all that via link, but I’d rather meet you personally. We’re siblings, after all.”

Woojin bit his lip indecisively, turning back to give Chan a questioning look. Chan was still frowning.

“I don’t know what to think of her. Do you have any reason to trust her, or mistrust her?”

Woojin thought about it, then shook his head slowly.

“Neither, to be honest… I barely know her. All I know is she doesn’t work for or under our father anymore, but she’s still in contact with most of our other, older siblings. Both those under our father and those who’ve been ostracized. I don’t know of any fall-out she might have had with anyone else besides our father…”

Chan nodded slowly.

“Ok… You can tell her she can come over. But we’re still going to suit up and arm ourselves, just in case. And I want to know what powers she has; I don’t want any surprises!”

“Her power is photographic memory. She remembers everything she sees down to the tiniest, most insignificant detail, even if she only sees it in passing. Is Hyojong coming with her?” Instead of Woojin, is was Seungmin who answered, entering the bridge with Jisung.

Chan and Woojin turned to give him surprised stares.

“How do you… Do you know her?”

Seungmin nodded, going over to sit in one of the vacant chairs.

“Her and her husband used to come pick me up after school whenever they were around. They weren’t sure they could trust you with the knowledge that they regularly infiltrated our father’s bases as long as you were under such close scrutiny from our father, though. That’s why we never told you about it.” He explained to Woojin, then continued to the room at large. “They did trust me, because they knew about… The particular kind of love our father has for me. And… Well, Hyojong is like me. His powers aren’t purely Taviran, either. They helped me a lot when Woojin couldn’t.”

Woojin continued to gape at Seungmin, a flicker of hurt, something like betrayal, flitting through his expression for a split second. He hid it quickly, though, before Seungmin could pick up on it.

“So… You trust her?” Chan asked when Woojin didn’t seem to be able to gather his thoughts quick enough to do it in his stead.

“Absolutely.”

“Alright then.”

Woojin shook his head to clear it, turning to go answer his sister, letting her know she could come over, and slowed the ship down so she could catch up.

*#*#*#*

Chan stood back with Jisung sticking almost to the shadows as Woojin and Seungmin stood in front of the docking bridge, waiting for their sister and husband. No matter what Seungmin said, Chan was not ready to leave them to meet them alone. Instead, every single cell in his body was prepared to yank the brothers behind a protective shield.

The lights over the docking bridge signaled that the docking maneuver was completed, and Chan nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Jisung’s elbow brush his side lightly.

“Your powers are snapping.” He whispered quietly, and Chan turned around to see it was indeed true, since it looked like a bit of a breeze was tugging on Jisung’s hair and clothes. He took a deep breath, trying to reign his powers in, but couldn’t hide them completely.

“I don’t like this… Them standing out there in the open like that… It’s freaking me out!”

“I can tell. But Seungmin trusts them; and Seungmin is suspicious of literally everyone.”

Chan frowned at that, turning to Jisung again while still not letting Woojin and Seungmin out of sight, still ready to yank them behind a protective shield with his powers if he had to.

“What do you mean?”

“I spend a whole lot of time with him, Chan. I’d say I’ve gotten to know him quite a bit lately, even if it wasn’t easy; as I said, he’s very guarded.”

Chan would have liked to have time to let that sink in, but he didn’t, since a quiet hiss announced the doors of the docking bridge opening, revealing a petite, red headed woman and a taller, blonde man.

As soon as they stepped into the open, Seungmin hurried over to hug them, and Chan could say he had never seen the kid so genuinely happy before. He had half a mind to intervene at first, but when the woman simply returned Seungmin’s hug with a similarly happy expression, he felt himself relaxing, his powers no longer snapping.

“Minnie! I’ve missed you, kiddo!”

“Not a kid…” Seungmin muttered with a pout, before letting go of her and moving to hug her companion.

In the meantime, his sister approached Woojin, hugging him with the stiffness only relatives that didn’t actually know each other hugged, and in the shadows, Chan bristled.

“Woojin. It’s good to see you; you’re looking good!”

Woojin gave a somewhat tight smile in return.

“Thank you. You too, Hyuna.”

His sister stepped back, waving over at the guy that was still talking in hushed tones with Seungmin.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever met Hyojong… Father wasn’t exactly keen on seeing him on his bases…”

The mention of his name made Hyojong look up and step up to Woojin as well, nodding his greeting at him.

“Uh, nice to meet you…” Woojin stammered a little, unsure, but his sister and her husband didn’t seem to mind.

“So, where’s your captain?” Hyuna asked, clapping her hands and letting her eyes wander through the bay, making both Woojin and Seungmin stand to attention, and freeze Chan and Jisung in their spot in the shadows.

“W-what? I’m the captain!” Woojin’s stutter worsened, and his discomfort was almost tangible to even Chan, across the bay.

Obviously, he didn’t manage to convince his sister, who gave him a small but understanding smile.

“Woojinnie, we both know you are a highly capable strategist and wonderful in directing people through your strategies, but you are not actually a leader, or captain.”

Woojin gaped at her, mildly offended (and somewhat hurt, even though he claimed the exact same thing himself. Still, he didn’t like hearing it from someone else, someone he wasn’t close with!). She was right, though, and he doubted she would rat him out to his father, so there was probably no harm in admitting the truth to her.

With a resigned sigh, he turned away from her to where he knew Chan and Jisung were standing in the shadows, and Chan understood his silent sign and stepped out into the light.

“Hyuna, Hyojong, meet my Captain, Bang Chan.” He introduced with a resigned sigh. Despite the slight humiliation, he found it comforting to have Chan standing next to him now, taking the burden of having to pretend he was the captain off his shoulders.

Both Hyuna and Hyojong inclined their heads respectfully to Chan, and Chan greeted them in kind.

“You must be a good guy if you agree to go along with Woojin’s ruse and let him pretend to be the captain in front of our father.” Hyuna observed, addressing Chan. Woojin flinched internally, but found himself surprised at Chan’s next words.

“It’s a small price to pay to grant Woojin’s safety and freedom.” His voice still held an icy undertone that somehow made Woojin feel warm instead. It was a veiled warning to his sister that Chan was willing to go to much further lengths to protect Woojin; against everyone, her included.

Hyuna understood the warning, but if anything, it increased her respect for Chan.

“I trust you understand the… complicated nature of all our relationships with our father, then?”

Chan nodded curtly, the one thing replaying in his mind being the sound of the man slapping Woojin, and he felt inclined to turn the ship around to make good on his threat to slam the bastard into a wall.

“All too well… Woojin mentioned you are no longer favoured by him?”

A smile of wry amusement flitted across Hyuna’s lips.

“I am not. I made the ‘mistake’ of staying with the man I loved rather than leave him for one he would have approved of. Guess that went beyond what his fatherly love for me could weight up against.”

Chan wasn’t all that surprised, but Woojin apparently had a harder time believing that.

“What? That was all it took?”

Hyuna laughed humorlessly.

“You know how obsessed he is with ‘preserving our species’. Me being with Hyojong instead of being with someone from a species with recessive genes to ours is nothing but a waste of Taviran genes to him.” She laughed again, this time with real humor, and some malice. “If only he knew that about half of his children are in some way queer, and almost all of them in pretend relationships to get him off their backs…”

Woojin couldn’t stop gaping at her in disbelief. Hyuna sighed fondly, giving Woojin a tender look.

“Now that you’ve antagonized him, too, I suppose there is no harm in telling you anymore… There isn’t a single one of us that is truthful with Father. He is a controlling asshole, and we all share his hard-headed Taviran genes. It was never meant to go well. Some of us are just better at pretending to get along with him than others. I, for one, am too hot-headed to pretend, though, so I messed up. And so did you, apparently, little brother.”

Woojin had it in him to look sheepish, and Chan was about to tell him he had nothing to be ashamed of, but Hyuna beat him to it.

“I’d be the last person to criticize you for that, Woojin. I see nothing wrong with what you did; I’m actually proud of you! Truthfully, I didn’t think you had it in you to stand up against him, but for your and for Minnie’s sake, I am glad you did. I’m just wondering… Are you aware of what that means for you?”

Woojin swallowed thickly, not liking how that sounded.

“I’m… Somewhat, but I wouldn’t claim to be a hundred percent sure.”

Before Hyuna could answer, Chan interrupted her this time around.

“Before you continue; how about we take this somewhere a little more comfortable than the middle of a bay? We do actually have some very comfortable chairs on this ship.”

Accepting the grateful looks from the siblings, Chan led the small party up to the conference room by the bridge, where he made to leave the family to themselves, not wanting to intrude now that he had deemed Woojin and Seungmin’s sister and brother-in-law non-threatening. The pleading look in Woojin’s eyes as soon as he understood Chan’s intention’s, and Hyuna’s hand on his arm, stopped him, though.

“Please, stay. What I have to tell Woojin could prove to become important for you to know, too.”

And so, Chan stayed, despite feeling like an intruder. When they were settled, Hyuna picked up her tale where she’d left off before.

“When you stood up against our father back there, you gained two things from him: his respect, and your freedom. They come at a cost, though. You are free, alright, but you can never go back to him for help. If you ever encounter trouble you can’t overcome on your own and go to him for help, you will lose everything. He’ll take your ship from you, your crew, your right to fly, to make decisions for yourself, and to leave his base forever.”

Woojin felt his heart plummet through the bottom of his ribcage, and he swallowed thickly.

“How… How do you know that?” He asked, not wanting to believe it, wanting to have a reason to not believe it.

“Dahyun and Junho.” Hyuna answered, but Woojin didn’t look like he understood, so she elaborated.

“Dahyun stood up to father when he told her to leave her boyfriend and marry a guy he had chosen. She left with her boyfriend, but they broke up soon after. She returned to father, and he took everything from her. He’s making her stay and work for him alone, coordinating all those ships that make up his main base.

“And Junho… Junho told Father he didn’t own him, once, a long time ago, and then when he got into a fight with Alliance forces that destroyed his ship and ended up with his whole crew dead or imprisoned, he went and got Junho out of jail, but never let him have anything for himself ever again. He, too, is made to work for Father, but he doesn’t even get any important jobs, since Father claims his power to memorize and predict the movements of all astral bodies in relation to each other is useless when computers exist.”

It looked as if Woojin’s wish for a reason not to believe Hyuna’s claims went unheard.

“Why don’t they just… Why can’t the rest of you get your siblings out of there?” Chan asked, looking clearly uncomfortable.

“Father would know what we plan if we go against him like that, and… It is one thing for us to stand up for ourselves against him, but to openly confront him… None of us can be sure that it wouldn’t end up being a suicide mission. And Junho and Dahyun won’t allow any of us to put ourselves into harm’s way for them. Besides, they live to go behind our father’s back and act as spies for the rest of us. It’s always good to have an in to his base for all of us, without father knowing.”

“So, that’s how you managed to get in so often under his nose without him noticing…” Seungmin mused, receiving nods of confirmation in answer.

“Anyway, bottom line is: whatever you do, if you need help, don’t go to Father. Come to any one of us, your siblings, instead. It doesn’t mater if you are close to them yet or not, they will have your back.”

Woojin, and Seungmin, too, nodded solemnly. Seungmin, despite not having confronted his father, ever, probably feared the same fate merely for the affront of having been born not completely Taviran. Chan felt some form of relief ease a worry in his heart he hadn’t been aware of until now, knowing that Woojin and Seungmin would have someone to turn to no matter what if they ever had to.

Hyuna sighed, leaning back in her seat, and her gaze found that of her husband. A whole silent conversation seemed to pass between the two before Hyojong spoke up.

“There is something else that you should know… And that might come as a bit of a shock to you…”

Everyone turned worried gazes to Hyojong, who was holding Hyuna’s hand comfortingly as he leaned forward a little.

“It’s not going to come as a surprise to you that your father is a callous, controlling asshole, but… Something he apparently did to all of you, his children, is that he had you tagged as soon as you were born.”

A collective sigh of relief came from Chan, Woojin and Seungmin, confusing both Hyuna and Hyojong.

“What…?” Hyuna asked, voicing her confusion. Seungmin answered her with a tired smile.

“We figured that out a while ago… the hard way.” His gaze flickered over to Chan and Woojin with a teasing glint in his eyes, one Woojin didn’t appreciate and that made Chan avert his gaze in a bout of embarrassment.

“What… does that mean?”

“It means that Chan and Jisung made sure the ship was clear of trackers when we decided to work together, and when they found Minnie and I were walking around with implanted trackers, Chan… wasn’t exactly thrilled. But we sorted it out, and neither of us have our trackers anymore.”

Hyojong and Hyuna looked at them with nothing short of shock in their expressions, Hyuna’s expression turning pained as she lifted a hand to rest it against her neck, unconsciously directing everyone’s attention to a long, jagged scar down the side of her neck.

“It… It’s ok.” Woojin felt compelled to reassure Hyuna upon seeing the pain in her expression that was obviously for them. “Chan used his powers to get the chips out of us. We felt none of it, and it didn’t even leave a scar.”

Hyuna let out a shaky but relieved breath.

“Oh, bless… It took hours to find mine, and weeks for the wound to heal… I’m glad you didn’t have to go through that.” She turned to Chan then. “I take it you’re not just a successful pirate, then, if your records are anything to go by, but also quite good at wielding your powers?”

Chan sat up a little straighter, slight frown making his brow crease.

“There is nothing I am more confident in than my powers. My record with the Alliance wouldn’t even exist without them.”

“That’s fair. You should know, though, that there is a possibility that Father will try to remove you from this ship and crew. He isn’t really… fond of Beirans.”

“Oh, that.” Chan waved off as he understood where she was going. “I’m aware he’s already… ‘advised’ Woojin to get rid of me.”

Hyuna and Hyojong gave him incredulous looks, but Chan’s attention was caught by the way Woojin looked increasingly uncomfortable next to him, clearly not liking the topic they were discussing.

“And you…?” Hyuna started carefully, getting Chan to focus back on her. She didn’t finish the question, but the implication hung heavy in the air.

“Woojin stood up to your father in my defense, and I trust him to not murder me in my sleep. As long as he doesn’t give me a reason not to trust him, I don’t see why I shouldn’t, or why I should take any action against him.”

“You are… an interesting captain, Chan.” Hyojong observed, half lost in thought.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

It was Hyuna who answered him verbally while Hyojong only nodded in acknowledgment.

“That’s fair. Anyway, I am glad my baby brothers ended up with you. It seems they are quite safe with you, and I wish to thank you for taking such good care of them. Since it would seem you were already aware of most of what I wanted to discuss with you, I trust you will keep watching each other’s backs, and your surroundings. And you should know, as long as Woojin and Seungmin are with you, you can consider us your allies. For now, though, we have taken up quite enough of your time, and we need to be on our way; as I am sure you do, too.”

*#*#*#*

The visit of Woojin and Seungmin’s sister on their ship had changed something about the dynamic between the whole crew, even if Jisung and Changbin hadn’t been privy to the whole meeting (or maybe they had; Chan never asked if Changbin and Jisung had eavesdropped on them through the surveillance mechanisms on the ship). Either way, the shift in their dynamics could only be described as positive, so Chan didn’t want to know if they had been listening in or not.

The most notable change in behaviour could be observed from Seungmin, Chan found. It had only really stood out to him how reserved the kid was once Jisung had pointed it out, back in the bay, but ever since the visit of his sister, he seemed to open up more to the rest of the crew. He’d of course already gotten closer to Jisung, but now he was quickly opening up to Changbin, too, and also to Chan, albeit a bit hesitantly, still.

Woojin secretly remained a bit mopey for a few days after the visit, a little hurt that Seungmin hadn’t trusted him enough to let him know before that he was on friendly terms with their sister, but ultimately the feeling of gratefulness that Seungmin had had someone else to turn to, someone who understood his problems better and in a way Woojin never could, had won out.

Another dynamic that changed was the one between Chan and Woojin, though that one was more subtle. It was in the way Chan trusted Woojin to revise the data Changbin pulled up for ships to raid and planets to assist on his own and suggest changes to their strategy according to the individual cases without needing detailed explanations why before he agreed. It was in the way Woojin didn’t hesitate anymore to suggest those changes to Chan. It was in the way they trusted each other at their back during raids, and fell into a rhythm where they didn’t need to communicate anymore to know what the other would want covered during those raids.

And above all, it was in the way they could just sit together for hours on end in complete silence, each of them doing their own thing or doing absolutely nothing, without ever feeling uncomfortable; how they actively sought the other’s presence to be able to sit in that comfortable silence when they felt troubled; and how that silence could easily be broken with any and every topic, and that was ok, too.

They became a team, between the two of them and together with the other three, that worked like a well-oiled machine, harmoniously and without hick-ups. The raids they performed became almost a routine, regardless if the Alliance-crews surrendered and were left alive or decided to fight and got torn to pieces. The clean-up after the raids became a routine, too, whether someone needed to be comforted or they got to celebrate. Even the rewarding feeling of being able to help some far-off exploited planet’s or hidden outpost’s population became routine.

Still, despite the feeling of routine, they never slacked off; they were all aware the risks were too high. And so, like he had been doing with every ship they’d decided to raid in the five months since they had left the Rebellion’s base, Woojin poured over the data Changbin gave him diligently, adjusting their strategy to the individual case until Chan gently shoed him off to bed in the wee morning hours.

It wasn’t until the next morning, when Woojin went back to revise his planning, that he felt that something was off. It felt like there was something he was missing, something small, seemingly insignificant, that bothered him. He put his everything into taking his strategy apart, his brain nearly running hot from the way he put his powers to use in trying to find the small blip, but he couldn’t find anything for hours.

“You’ve gone over your whole strategy and all the data we got four times now, Woojin. If anyone would have found any flaw in your plan at all, ever, it would have been you; you are incomparable. If you haven’t found anything yet, it’s because there must be nothing to be found.” Chan concluded eventually, needling Woojin to stop driving himself mad over the piles of data on the desk in front of him and come down to the galley with him to eat lunch with the rest of the crew.

Woojin sighed, dejected.

“You’re probably right. I must have slept funny, or something. Anyway, what’s for lunch?”

Chan looked at him understandingly, then gave him a teasing grin before all but skipping to the door of the bridge.

“Come with and you shall find out!”

Woojin rolled his eyes but followed him, most of the tension he had been feeling for the past hours falling off him as he watched his captain’s silly antics.

They had made it somewhat of a tradition to eat a meal all together before going on a raid, then resting for a little while before suiting and arming up.

Changbin usually went first, since he needed to be ready and on the bridge way before anyone else needed to do their part of the raids, followed by Seungmin and Jisung, who were checked over by Chan and Woojin to see if they got everything they could possibly need, before they, too, suited up and chose their weapons for the day: Chan never carrying more than the bare minimum, while Woojin brought a whole arsenal of weapons with him every time.

Today was no different. Changbin was suited and on the bridge before anyone else got ready, but everyone was ready and in position when they needed to be, with Changbin and Seungmin on the bridge, and Chan, Woojin and Jisung entering the Alliance ship.

It was a fairly big one, with quite the number of crew members for a mere cargo ship, but they surrendered nonetheless, like more and more crews tended to do lately as their reputation preceded them.

Chan and Woojin had an easy time rounding up the crew and locking them up in the smallest bay of the freighter, Woojin leaving Chan eventually when he had it under control to assist Changbin in docking the ships’ cargo ramps.

Thankfully, most of the cargo they were out for was located in the first, main bay, making the transfer easy. Some of it, though, was located in the third one, the one furthest from the cargo ramp, since they had locked the crew in the second bay.

It took a while for the three of them to round up what they needed, bundling it together in one neat pile to transfer it to their ship. They made it almost there, when Woojin suddenly shouted a warning.

“One of them escaped! Left hallway!”

Chan dropped the cargo, sprinting past Woojin and down the hallway Woojin had pointed out before the echo of his words had time to fade. There was, in fact, one lone Alliance soldier sprinting down that hallway, but unfortunately for him it was a long one and he had nowhere to hide from Chan’s powers, which slammed into him and him against the closest wall with enough force to make sure he didn’t get up again.

“What the fuck! How could he escape?! And why did no one warn us! Seungmin?!” Chan barked through the communicator weaved into the collar of his suit. He got no answer, though, and he felt his heartrate pick up as he made sure his communicator was working.

“Woojin? Changbin? Can you hear me?!”

“Loud and clear! Did you get them?” Woojin answered immediately.

“I did, but… Changbin? Seungmin?” Chan’s heartrate tripled when Changbin failed to answer him, too, and he called out to both members who were still on the Esmerilhao. He waited with bated breath for an answer as he ran back to Woojin and Jisung’s side, just to see their expressions freeze, too, when they tried contacting the other two but getting the same answer as Chan: none.

“Back! Back to the ship!” Chan ordered, not wasting a single second to stop, instead turning around mid-run to lead the way back. Woojin and Jisung followed him no questions asked.

They almost made it back on board, when they were forced to a screeching halt on the ramps as a sight that chilled the blood in their veins greeted them: there, at the base of the cargo ramp of the Esmerilhao, stood a man in Alliance uniform. Not just any uniform, but that of a Special Forces Unit soldier. And he wasn’t standing there alone: pressed with his back against his chest was Changbin, a menacingly glinting blade pressed against his neck, which looked painfully stretched already in an attempt to evade the sharp edge. Next to the soldier, with a terrifyingly empty stare that didn’t seem to recognize any of them, stood Seungmin.

Chan only hesitated for the blink of an eye before he got ready to slam his powers into the soldier, but Changbin’s terrified yell to stop froze him. It took everything in him not to lash out, though, as he had to watch the blade press tighter against Changbin’s neck, breaking enough skin for a single bead of blood to pool around the blade and run down until it disappeared in the collar of Changbin’s suit.

“Did I tell you to talk? I think I didn’t… Then again, maybe it’s for the best if you tell your captain yourself what will happen if he uses his powers against me… Go on, little human.”

Changbin’s eyes welled up, but he fought the tears down valiantly while suppressing the urge to swallow, lest the blade dug in further.

“He’s got Seungmin’s mind hostage. Whatever you do to him, happens to Seungmin, too!” Changbin rushed out once he found his voice.

It took all of a thousandth of a second for the feeling of utter powerlessness to slam into Chan, and he wanted to scream in frustration, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t, not when Changbin had a blade cutting into his neck, Seungmin’s mind was held hostage, and Woojin was only just this side of sanity right next to him.

“What… What do you want from us!” He demanded from the soldier, his mind running at triple light-speed as he tried to figure out a way to get them all out of here safely with his powers rendered useless. He didn’t expect an answer, he merely tried to buy time to figure something out while fighting down the raising panic that was taking firm roots in his insides. He _had_ to figure something out, he had to get everyone to safety, he couldn’t lose them, couldn’t lose anyone, couldn’t bear the mere thought of one of them hurt, never mind-

“What I want… I want you all to play nice and follow me to a special set of cells we have prepared for you. You’ve been causing too much damage to the Alliance.”

This was a set-up! It was, it had to be, Woojin had been right that something had been off, and he’d dismissed it! By Belize, he had dismissed it when he should have let Woojin go over the data again and again until he found what was off, or blown the whole raid off, he should have _known_ , they had been through something like this before, why did he not learn from that, he’d almost lost Jisung and now-

“Was I not clear enough? Right, I should probably tell you where to go. Turn around now, then head down the way you came. The middle bay; I believe you know where that is. Come on, chop-chop, we don’t have all day!”

Woojin, Chan and Jisung were frozen in terror, though, taking too long to move and the soldier’s patience was apparently inexistent.

“I said we don’t have all day! Move, if you don’t want your friends to pay for your ineptitude!”

Again, the blade pressed tighter to Changbin’s throat, causing tears to shoot up to his eyes, and next to them, Seungmin let out a choked gasp while pain flitted over his expression; his eyes remained completely vacant, though, and the sight nearly caused Chan to throw up.

“Stop! Don’t hurt them!” Chan could only plead while Woojin took a stumbling, mindless step forward towards his brother.

“Stop right there! The other way around! Move, or I’ll slit this one’s throat right here, right now!” The soldier shouted, and Chan lurched to grab Woojin by his holsters to stop him from going any further. He didn’t know what to do, he was at a loss, his powers were snapping around him but not actually doing anything, not even ruffling anyone’s hair, out of fear of triggering the soldier into hurting the two hostages more.

Woojin fought weakly, but Chan had enough strength left to contain him and wrestle him around to follow the soldier’s orders. He had to keep everyone alive, at the very least, for now. Not all was lost just yet if he could at least keep everyone alive for now, he just couldn’t let anyone die, he could come up with something-

A sudden yell, almost simultaneous with a resounding, dull thud, interrupted his thoughts, and he whipped around to see the soldier stumble backwards, Changbin and Seungmin shoved away from him. In their stead, a blur of electric dark blue followed the soldier, causing him to stumble and fall.

In the short moment Woojin and Chan had distracted the soldier, Jisung had managed to make eye contact with Changbin, a short, quiet conversation happening between them and at a sign from Jisung Changbin had headbutted the guy, who, in his surprise as pain exploded across his face, had let go of his two hostages. Before he knew what was happening to him, Jisung had jumped on him and started fighting him.

“Jisung, no!” Chan yelled, letting go of Woojin in his attempt to get to the fighting duo, but Jisung ignored him. The soldier was still holding the dagger he had held against Changbin’s throat, and he was using it to defend himself against Jisung.

Jisung seemed to have completely forgotten that he was carrying weapons, too, instead kicking, clawing, hitting and biting at the soldier with everything he had while trying to hold the dagger at bay.

“Min!” Woojin shouted next to Chan, distracting him only long enough to look at Seungmin himself as he was about to pass him and Changbin.

Seungmin lifted his head, looking at his brother, and it was clear his gaze was no longer vacant. An almost debilitating wave of relief swept over Chan, and he surged forward again to help Jisung with the soldier, when a deafening cry came from the Atalaian and the fighting pair stilled instantly.

“Jisung!” Chan wasn’t sure who had shouted, if it was him or someone else. He also didn’t recall moving his feet, yet fractions of a second later his knees hit the metal of the ramp next to Jisung, his hands flying to his immobile body to cradle him in his arms.

He was frantic, he knew that, but he didn’t know how to calm down as he pulled Jisung off the equally motionless soldier, and it didn’t help that Jisung merely slumped into him, without any form of resistance.

“Jisung! Jisungjisungjisung, Sungie! Sungie, please, please, please answer me! Sung, hey, hey…!” Chan’s breath caught in his throat when he felt Jisung’s breath fan over his face before the other suddenly tensed and rolled out of his hold to throw up on the floor next to them.

Immeasurable relief flooded Chan, and a sob wrung itself out of his throat. Jisung was alive! Even if something was wrong, if he was throwing up, he was alive.

Quickly, he followed Jisung’s motion and held him even as he was throwing up.

“Shh, Sung, I got you. I got you, it’s over. It’s over, you’re safe, Binnie and Min are safe, too.”

“Ch-chan…!” Jisung rasped out eventually, not looking up but curling in on himself.

Chan wrapped his arms properly around Jisung, holding him tight.

“I’m here. I’m here, Sung. I got you.”

“Chan, I-” Jisung broke off with a choked sob, and for a moment Chan thought he was going to throw up again. “I k-killed him…!”

“Yes, you-”

It took Chan a second too long to realize what the problem was, and by then Jisung was full on sobbing into his shoulder. Chan could only hold him tightly, trying to soothe him as he scanned the area around them. Woojin was holding Seungmin in a manner not unlike the way he was holding Jisung, while Changbin was coming towards him, checking the soldier on the ground. His eyes widened when he saw the dagger lodged into his neck at a weird angle, buried to the hilt yet the blade didn’t come out on the other side. There was surprisingly little blood, too, but Chan shook his head to dispel those thoughts; why was he picking up on that, anyway? What mattered was that the soldier was no longer threatening his crew, and everyone was still alive!

“We need to get out of here…” Changbin rasped, moving to grab the soldier by his legs to drag him to the other side of the cargo ramps. “We don’t know how long we have until his colleagues will sense something is wrong and come looking for us.”

Changbin made quick work of disposing the body on the other ship’s side, then hurried back, nudging Woojin on his way.

“Come, we have to get going. Let’s just get out of here. Just… Let’s just go. Can you carry Seungmin? Do you need help?”

Woojin shook his head, getting up on shaking legs with Seungmin securely in his arms, but Changbin helped him anyway. It was a good thing he did, because Woojin did look as if he was about to collapse if Changbin hadn’t been there.

Chan made an effort to get up, too, holding Jisung securely in his arms as he did so. His legs felt as shaky as Woojin’s looked, but he made it securely onto the Esmerilhao, where, as soon as Chan stepped off the ramp, Changbin closed the bay and terminated the docking.

“I’m going to get us out of here. I’ll… Bridge.” He muttered as soon as the ships disconnected, turning on his heel and hurrying out of the bay.

Only then did Chan remember he was supposed to be the captain, he was the one who should have led their retreat, but he wasn’t about to argue about it.

“Woojin…” He called out quietly, and to his surprise Woojin looked up after his first call.

“How are you? How is Seungmin?”

He could see Woojin’s hold on his brother tighten, holding him closer to himself.

“Alive. We’re alive…”

Chan nodded, swallowing thickly as it crossed his mind how close they had come to that statement not being possible anymore.

“Yeah, you- good. That’s-… Can you-… Are you ok? Ok enough to… To get you and Seungmin up to your cabins?”

Woojin exhaled shakily.

“I don’t-… I don’t know. I don’t know, Chan, I don’t-…”

Chan hurried over to where the two brothers were sitting on the ground, Jisung still securely cradled in his arms. He knelt down beside them, letting go of Jisung with one hand to hold onto Woojin, holding him close for a moment.

“It’s ok, Woojin, it’s ok. We’re ok. We’re all ok. I’ll help you, ok? I’ll… I’ll bring Jisung up, and then I’ll help you, alright?”

Both Jisung and Woojin protested, Jisung holding on to Chan with all the strength he had left.

“Don’t- don’t leave! I can’t-…”

Chan was quick to soothe both of them, adjusting his position so he could hold them both without his legs going numb under him.

They were all alive, they were all -relatively, counting the thin cut on Changbin’s neck- unharmed; and yet, the poisonous thought took root and spread in Chan’s mind, refusing to be shaken off as Chan stared unseeingly at the screen on one wall that showed them quickly leaving the Alliance ship behind: were they really ok?


	12. Crumbling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm going back to edit this chapter later, but I just finished writing it and I absolutely need it to be up and out there. I can't sit on it any longer. It has been hurting me, and you will soon see why.   
> Just... when you reach the end... please don't give up on this story, ok? Mind my tags. Minor means minor, and none of skz are minor in this!

The Alliance ship didn’t follow them when they made their hasty exit, Changbin could confirm that.

That was about the only good news after the failed raid, though.

Within just a few minutes, the balance and morale that had taken months to build was shattered; where usually laughter filled the bridge and spaces the crew of the Esmerilhao shared, now silence reigned, hushed voices and whispers never quite succeeding in breaking the silence, and the warmth that had started to fill the whole ship all the way into its outermost corners was replaced by the shimmery coldness of steel.

Chan didn’t know when the last time he had slept was; not that he cared. He was much more concerned about his crew, especially Jisung and Seungmin.

After he had successfully managed to get both Woojin and Seungmin into Woojin’s cabin, and Jisung into his own, the problems only seemed to start.

He heard from Woojin that Seungmin wouldn’t stop shaking once he’d become fully aware of his surroundings and what had happened again, spiraling into a frenzied panic every time Woojin so much as loosened his hold on him. He didn’t sleep for ages, and once exhaustion finally claimed him, he would wake up screaming every so often; and woe if Woojin wasn’t right there by his side to calm him down!

Chan was facing a similar situation with Jisung, but Jisung didn’t panic, and he didn’t sleep; not really. He stared ahead unseeingly for hours that turned into days, barely blinking and definitely not seeing what was in front of him, fighting sleep with all his might to make sure he didn’t have to close his eyes for even the smallest amount of time. Eventually, he would pass out, more comatose than sleeping, but it never lasted long as terrible nightmares plagued him.

Eventually, Chan took to using his powers to help Jisung restore his energy, and had to hold him close whenever he did fall into those near comatose states. It helped, at least a little. Jisung stopped lying down and staring unseeingly, but even though he sat up and walked around, he rarely talked, always caught up in his head and absent, and he still refused to sleep for as long as possible.

Seungmin, Chan couldn’t help with his powers, not one bit. The mere thought of using his own powers sent the boy into panic, and even just thinking about Chan using his powers had a similar effect. Chan had to make sure to never use his powers in any way Seungmin could see, since even the subtle changes of his eye-colour that came along with the use of his powers set Seungmin off.

Being so caught up with the younger ones in their care, Woojin and Chan didn’t have time to deal with their own thoughts that plagued them.

Woojin couldn’t help but blame himself for the raid going wrong, and so did Chan. Changbin spent next to all of the time he managed to catch either of them without their younger protegees trying to convince them that it was neither of their fault, but they wouldn’t listen. And Changbin had evidence, even: there was nothing in the data, not the tiniest hint or trace that indicated the presence of the mind-controller! What Woojin had felt when he was convinced there was something wrong was merely a hunch, a gut feeling; there was nothing, no evidence at all, that could have set off his alarm-bells. And Chan… Chan had been right to get Woojin to stop obsessing over the data. Woojin’s strategy had been flawless, there simply _was nothing wrong!_

All the while, they drifted idly, without a set course, as they tried picking their own and each other’s pieces back up.

It took a while before everyone was at least functional enough to gather together for a shared dinner again, and it was then that Chan had to bring up the question they all silently asked themselves.

“What do you want to do, now? Like, do you want to continue like before, or…?”

It took a while before someone answered after the question had sunk in yet still hung in the middle of the room like an amorph, sticky monster.

“It was one hiccup… We can learn from it, and we can do better; like we’ve learned and done better before.” Changbin’s words, quiet but sure, defeated the sticky monster.

“This was what I signed up for… the life I chose. I don’t-… This is all I have.” Woojin spoke up quietly, too, but his resolve to continue was almost palpable.

Seungmin and Jisung didn’t answer for a while longer, not meeting anyone’s gazes as they played listlessly with the remains of their barely touched food.

“I can’t use my powers anymore!” Seungmin eventually blurted, looking up and finding first his brother’s, then Chan’s gaze. “I can’t. I just-… I don’t know what to do, where to go, but I can’t use them!” He clenched his hands into fists, fear flickering in his eyes, and Chan reached out to cover his fist that was resting next to his plate with his own.

“I would never ask that of you if you don’t want to, Min. We’ll find another way to keep track of our enemies’ whereabouts, and something else for you to do; if you want to.”

Seungmin took a shaky breath, but nodded eventually as he could feel nothing but sincerity coming from Chan, and relaxed somewhat into his seat.

Inevitably, everyone’s attention shifted to Jisung after that, who shrunk into his seat.

“I… I never want to get into a fight again. Never. I keep seeing- _feeling_ \- that soldier just- just-…” He shook his head as if to dispel the images no doubt playing in his mind. “I can’t do it. I can’t do _that_! I am sorry…”

Chan reached out to hold Jisung’s hand, too.

“Sung, you have nothing to be sorry for. I never wanted you to have to do that, either, and I’ll do everything I possibly can to make sure you never have to do that again. I am so, so sorry it came to that point in the first place. You don’t have to come onto enemy ships with me ever again if you don’t want to.”

Jisung gave Chan a pained look that Chan couldn’t quite decipher, but ultimately averted his gaze with a shake of his head. Chan turned back to the room at large.

“So… do we continue?”

*#*#*#*

They did continue.

With a goal in mind, they finally set course to the planets the stolen goods from the raid gone wrong were meant for and delivered them, before picking out a new target.

With Seungmin refusing to use his powers and Jisung unwilling to come onto enemy ships with them, they had to completely revise their strategy.

The first ship they targeted, they shot into unmaneuverability, forcing it to crash-land on an asteroid before boarding it. For the first time, Changbin joined Chan and Woojin as they went to retrieve what they needed from the ship’s cargo, Jisung and Seungmin staying on the bridge instead.

It didn’t take long before Jisung called them back, since Seungmin was really not dealing well with being in a situation so similar to the one that had gone wrong before. Still, they managed to get what they needed from the ship, and flew to deliver it to the planet that had asked for the specific set of supplies they had retrieved.

Another ship was targeted afterwards, and they stuck to the shoot-first-ask-later tactic. Changbin decided to stay behind on the bridge again, though, Chan and Woojin going over to the other ship alone. Jisung and Seungmin stayed in the bay, by the docking bridge. They guarded the passage as well as stowed the goods Chan and Woojin brought over away.

It worked, somehow, but it still felt too off, compared to before that awful raid. And it worked again and again, a few more times, yet nothing changed about the way it all felt off.

Where they had been a well-functioning team before, working as precisely as a well-oiled machine, now they barely made do. The difference was astonishing, and it hurt them all to witness it. And yet, no one would dare suggest Seungmin and Jisung pick up the roles they felt they couldn’t fill anymore again, and despite feeling guilty about it, there was no way the two would have given in, anyway; the terror from the events of that fateful raid still stuck too deeply in their bones.

It was a sad, demure crew that eventually landed on the small mining planet of Queiriga to deliver a badly needed shipment of spare parts for their mining machinery. Apparently, while the planet was property of the Alliance and housed mostly Alliance slaves or people somehow indebted to the Alliance that were paying off their debt with their work, the Alliance did a piss-poor job keeping the colony supplied with the essentials it needed to keep providing them with the goods they wanted.

The leader of the colony, with whom Chan met up behind the backs of the few Alliance officials stationed on the planet, looked close to tears when Chan told them they could keep the shipment of parts for free. And yet, they weren’t overwhelmed enough to forget to ask if Chan knew someone who could help them fix some of that broken machinery of theirs. Or maybe just show them how it was done, so they could do it themselves eventually…

Chan was about to deny it, when Jisung piped up, offering to take a look despite not being familiar with mining machines.

“But if I can fix space-ships, some puny little excavators shouldn’t pose too big of a challenge, right?”

Chan relented without contesting Jisung’s wish; it was the first time Jisung actively expressed interest in anything since that awful raid, and if it managed to get his mind off of the memories plaguing him, who was he to deny him that?

Jisung went with the Queirigan leader, who showed him to the maintenance area where the broken excavators and dredgers were kept. For the rest of the day, and well into the night, the remaining crew of the Esmerilhao didn’t see hide nor hair of the young mechanic. It was well into the night when he eventually returned, and despite exhausted and grimy, he looked better than he had in weeks, Chan found. When Jisung asked for one more day to look after the mining equipment, Chan relented without a second thought; he’d do anything to make Jisung happy.

No one expected Jisung to be back as soon into the evening as he actually was that day, and as soon as he joined the rest of the crew, it was obvious something was wrong. Not with Jisung, not really; if anything, something seemed to have been ‘un-wronged’ about him during the past hours he had been absent, but there was something, something about the way he looked at them, with a hope yet at the same time sadness, determination but pain in his gaze…

While no one could quite put their finger on it to guess what it was that was on Jisung’s mind, no one would have even dreamed the words that actually came out of his mouth eventually; not even in their worst nightmares.

“I’m not coming with you when you leave.”

The short sentence hit the bridge with the force of a bombshell.

“W-what-…?” Chan wheezed, the first one to gather his bearings.

Jisung took a deep breath.

“I want to stay here. I’m not leaving with you when you go.”

Chan felt his knees give out under him, and he was grateful for Seungmin, who caught him and helped him into the closest chair before he could hit the floor. Out of all of them, Seungmin seemed the least surprised by Jisung’s words, and as soon as he had safely deposited Chan in the chair, he went over to hug Jisung. No words passed between the two, but there seemed to be some sort of deeper understanding conveyed through their tight embrace that the others lacked.

“B-but… why?” Changbin asked eventually, silent tears streaming down his face already.

Jisung answered him with a sad smile.

“You don’t need me anymore.”

“That’s not true! Sung…! We will always need you!!” Changbin was desperate, and Jisung went over to hug him too, once Seungmin had let go of him.

“You don’t. This ship is one of the best that has ever been built, Bin. There is no way anything will ever break; not anything that I would be able to fix, anyway. And since I won’t- I can’t fight anymore… I can’t bear the thought of going over onto another ship and leave anyone behind, nor can I stand the thought of someone else going in my stead. And the mere possibility of being involved in any fight again…” He shook his head vehemently to dispel the resurfacing images. “I can’t do it, Bin. I’ll be better off here, where I can do something useful, where my skills can still help people.”

“You don’t have to fight, though… You don’t have to, Sung, I’ll keep you safe…! I’ll keep everyone safe…! Please…!”

Jisung let go of Changbin to go and hug Chan instead.

“Channie… I know you will, but this… I need to do this for myself. I can’t keep living the life we have been. I can’t. I feel like… I am just baggage to you at this point…”

“You are _not-_!”

Jisung shook his head, placing a finger over Chan’s lips to interrupt him.

“I am. I’m not doing anything of worth for any of you or the cause anymore; and while you may not care, I do. I can’t stand this feeling of uselessness. It is time for something new for me.”

Chan clung to Jisung, and if everyone’s hearts were broken in that moment, neither was broken into as many pieces as Chan’s.

“You’re not useless, Sung! You’re not… You are the most brilliant mechanic in the whole universe, and-”

“And that is why I’m staying here, Channie. You don’t need a brilliant mechanic, you have a brilliant ship. I’m better off here; I’m needed more here…!”

Jisung made the mistake to look into Chan’s eyes, the words Chan wasn’t selfish enough to utter out loud despite everything -that _he_ needed Jisung- clearly written out there, but it still didn’t manage to break his resolve, and after one more tight squeeze, he let go of Chan, stepping back.

“I’ll… I’ll be going now. I’ve already talked to the leader, and they found a place for me to stay already.” His voice broke a little, but he took another step backwards, towards the exit.

He didn’t make it further before Changbin was hugging him again.

“We’ll come visit you, Sung, I promise we will, whenever we’re around…” He whispered into Jisung’s shoulder brokenly, but Jisung shook his head.

“Please… I’d rather you didn’t. For the sake of all of us. It’ll only bring everyone pain. I love you, all of you, a lot, and that will never change; but I don’t want to keep being reminded of what I did, back there… I need to get over that, to be able to live again, and I can’t do that as long as I… as I keep being reminded about it.”

Changbin tightened his hug one more time before stepping back, wiping at his tears with shaking hands before reaching into one of his pockets. He pulled out what looked like a delicate necklace, which he pressed into Jisung’s hand.

“Please, at least keep this. Let it not be a reminder of what happened, but of how much we love you. And if you ever change your mind… If you ever want to talk to us… The ornament is a direct link to my personal link, and only to that one. It will work no matter where in the universe I am, and even if all other communication systems fail; even if I am somewhere like Quiaios. If you ever need us… Use it. Please.”

Jisung swallowed thickly, not retracting his hand again.

“Changbin, I shouldn’t-…”

“ _Please_ , Jisung! Please. Just keep it.” Changbin’s gaze was way past begging as he held Jisung’s, and eventually, Jisung relented. With one small nod, he placed the necklace in his own pocket. There was something in his gaze that told everyone that he never intended to use it, though.

With a deep breath, Jisung took another few steps backwards, and was only intercepted once when Woojin went to hug him one last time, too, before he turned around and left the ship without looking back.

No one gave the orders to lift off, and it would never be clear who had completed the maneuver, but Queiriga -and with it, Jisung- disappeared in the distance all too quickly.

Days passed in which no one saw the captain of the Esmerilhao, the door to his cabin locked and no response from him coming no matter who knocked on his door or for how long. Sometimes, in the dead of night, broken sobs could faintly be heard outside his door, but they were too muffled and faint for anyone to be sure they were real.

When Changbin and Woojin eventually broke down the door to Chan’s cabin after their worry for him had won over their compassion with him and the fear of retribution, they found his cabin empty, though.

“I hope you are planning on fixing that.”

Woojin and Changbin whipped around on the spot at the voice of their captain coming from behind them as they took in the empty cabin, finding Chan standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and expression pissed.

It wasn’t his immediate anger that chilled them to the bone, though; there was something in his eyes that told them that this was no longer the Chan they had gotten to know over time. During these last days, something had died in Chan, something that had only just started blooming again after having been trampled down violently; and neither could tell if it would be possible to revive it ever again, this time around.

*#*#*#*

Jisung’s absence left a glaring hole in the crew. If the mood had been down after the raid, it was nothing compared to what they lived since the mechanic had decided to stay behind on Queiriga.

A new kind of routine installed itself on the ship.

They went after ships with specific cargos that were of interest for specific planets, demolished them into unmaneuverability, pillaged them and left them behind; so far, nothing much had changed, except for the shoot first, talk later tactic.

What had changed was Chan, mostly. He acted with a coldness that none of the others would have expected from him. More often than not, they left at least half of the crew on the raided ships behind dead, the others generally maimed at least. Chan wasn’t taking risks anymore, making sure that his crew was kept safe at all times, even if that required him to violently take out any and all adversaries he came across.

Another drastic change Chan implemented was that no one was to leave the ship without him; anywhere. Be it on raids or during deliveries on planets, the others were to stay on the ship or by his side when they did leave. Woojin, Changbin and Seungmin figured it was due to some form of separation anxiety, that Chan simply couldn’t stand the thought of losing another one of them, and didn’t give him grief over it, even if it annoyed them sometimes.

As cold as Chan acted towards others, including their contacts on the planets they supplied, he never let his crew feel any of it. It wasn’t easy for him to show his warmth like before, it was as if he was trying to protect himself by shutting them out most times, but it was still there. It was in the small gestures, and the brothers and Changbin cherished the moments when Chan would let them in, let them close enough to feel it. It was, in the end, why they could continue with what they were doing; it was for Chan, always with the hope he would open up again once day, however long that might take.

For now, there weren’t many signs that Chan was getting better, though. Months had passed, and still the faint sounds of crying could be heard at night in front of his door. Still he showed no mercy to anyone working for the Alliance, and still he refused to let them leave the ship on their own. And still, no one ever dared to close the tab on Queiriga that was always open on the control desk, where Chan could sometimes be found staring at the screen for hours on end.

In general, most of their life concentrated itself on the bridge these days, except during raids and for when Woojin and Seungmin went to train in one of the bays. More often than not, though, the four of them were up there, with Changbin teaching Seungmin a whole new skill-set on the computers, Chan staring at the tab of Queiriga, and Woojin going through piles of data, devising strategies, choosing planets to aid and ships to raid.

One of the rare occasions they all left the bridge for were the meals, which they prepared and ate together not just before raids now, but all the time. It was the one time they could sometimes coax something akin to a smile from Chan at, which made the mealtimes special to them.

Chan, too, cherished those times, where they all sat together with all the worries left behind on the bridge, creating an atmosphere as lighthearted as it was possible for them, with their hearts still heavy and a painfully empty chair at the table. Still, conversation didn’t come easy to them, and they had all gotten used to the long periods of silence as they simply focused on their food, no longer feeling the need to try and fill it constantly, as it no longer felt uncomfortable.

In the silence that was only interrupted by soft clinking of utensils on plates, the sudden buzzing of a link startled all of them into a jump, though. Confused looks were thrown around for a moment, until Changbin pulled out his link. His eyes widened instantly as soon as he saw the ID flashing back at him, and in his haste to answer he almost dropped it.

“Sung?!” He answered, breathless, and it bordered a miracle the other three stayed in their seats.

“Binnie. Where are you right now?” It was Jisung, alright, but there was a strain in his voice that had everyone hold their breaths and not daring to interrupt him or ask him questions.

“T-the galley…?” Changbin answered, confused, but he barely managed to finish before Jisung interrupted him again.

“No, in the universe.”

“Uh-… Near the Tremees system…”

“Oh…” There was defeat in Jisung’s voice, and dread crept into the four now huddled together over the link.

“Why?” Changbin couldn’t stand the tone, needing to know what brought it on.

“Are the others with you?” Jisung avoided his question.

“Yes. All of them. You are on speaker.”

Jisung took a deep breath on the other end of the connection.

“I just want you know that I love you. All of you. And I will always love you, no matter what happens; please don’t ever forget that.”

The shocked silence in the wake of his words only lasted for a second, but it was long enough for the connection to cut out.

“No!”

With a clatter, the chair Chan had just occupied fell to the ground, and he was out of the galley before anyone could blink.

No one had any appetite left, especially not with Chan’s reaction, which was the most passionate they had seen ever since Jisung had left them. Without a word shared among them, they followed Chan out of the galley, suspecting him to have gone to the bridge. They were proven right once they arrived there as well, no more than a couple of minutes later.

Chan was almost pawing frantically at the screen with the tab on Queiriga open, frantically mumbling a string of ‘No, no, no’, as windows opened when he tapped them and closed on their own seconds later.

“This can’t be happening, this can’t- not again, not _again!”_ His words were barely audible, his breathing labored yet at the same time it seemed like he wasn’t getting the least amount of oxygen to his lungs.

“Chan, what’s going on?” Woojin was the first to gather his bearings, approaching Chan to catch him if necessary, since he looked one step away from collapsing.

“They- they- no, they can’t, Jisung-… Jisung, Sungie, they can’t-…” Chan didn’t seem to hear him, but Woojin was close enough now to see what was going on on the screen in front of Chan in detail, and he paled.

“They are destroying Queiriga…” He breathed, and Chan slammed his fists against the screen, screaming “NO!” again.

A blur passed by them, and not a full two seconds later, they were all thrown off their feet as Changbin turned the Esmerilhao around so abruptly not even the artificial force-field could balance the movement out.

Woojin caught Chan against himself even though they both stumbled, but he was more likely to regain his footing without falling than the distraught captain.

“Changbin, what- You’re not seriously planning to bring us up to full speed-… shit, you are!”

Woojin grit his teeth, still holding on to Chan. He had never flown the Esmerilhao at full speed; hell, he hadn’t even gone close to two lightyears an hour, the universe being far too full of rubble and not enough dark space to go even close to that fast for any mount of time, but there was no reasoning with Changbin right now, he had a feeling. He just hoped they would make it out alive of this.

“Deflector shields, Changbin. Power up the deflector shields!” He grit out through clenched teeth instead as he dragged Chan with him to his usual chair. It would have to hold both of them for now, he didn’t have the time to deposit Chan somewhere else for now, nor could he split his attention between Chan and their route.

“Deflectors slow us down, like hell will I-”

“You know what else will slow us down? Crashing into a fucking asteroid and being blown to pieces at the speed we are going!” Woojin couldn’t help but yell as he aimed the cannons and fired a blast at the last possible moment to destroy a considerably sized chunk of rock they would have hit straight on the way they were going. The impacts of the rubble on the outer shell of the Esmerilhao still shook them through, but it was enough for Changbin to see at least that much reason and pull up the deflector shields. Even with those up, they still managed to reach the three lightyears and hour, but no more.

Changbin found the time to check the tabs on Queiriga from his own screen, nearly driving Woojin crazy with how that distracted him from their course.

“No, oh no… we’re too slow, _too fucking slow…!”_ Changbin yelled, frustrated, and to Woojin’s surprise, that pulled Chan out of his stupor, and he shoved Woojin out of the way to access the desk in front of him.

“We won’t be able to go at this speed for long, not with the fuel we have…” Woojin observed, but Changbin and Chan both ignored him. Woojin had no idea what Chan was planning, but suddenly, he felt a jolt go through the ship and his eyes widened.

“Chan, what- Oh no, you’re really-…”

He didn’t get an answer, but yes, Chan was really using some of their ammunition to draw energy and propel them forward even faster. Woojin thought he was going to faint when the speedometers started showing ridiculous numbers of up to eighteen lightyears an hour at times. He could do little else than close his eyes and pray to the long-forgotten deities of his people that they may protect them so they could come out of this mad dash alive and without flinging themselves straight into a black hole, so he would have enough time to beat the crap out of Chan and Changbin for this stunt.

He didn’t know how much -or rather, how little- time had passed when Changbin yelled at Chan to stop and forced the ship to slow down. For a moment, Woojin was sure he had passed out, with how harshly they braked, his body giving out under the brutal deceleration. He had no idea how Chan and Changbin remained at least seemingly unaffected. And then, that was no longer a concern of his, as he was able to see Queiriga in front of them.

“Are you really-”

He didn’t bother finishing his question, of course Chan was really bringing them down onto the surface of the planet that was starting to crack open in multiple places, the molten interior of it starting to spill out.

They got past the patrolling Alliance fighters without a hitch, none of them expecting a ship flying _towards_ the planet; Woojin couldn’t blame them, it was a suicide mission, and he was sure that even if they turned back around eventually, in that case the Alliance fighters would come after them, alright.

“Seungmin, do you think you can find Jisung?” Chan panted, nearly slumped over the control desk in front of him. Woojin snapped to attention at that.

“What?! Chan, you can’t-!”

“I will! We’re too far out, though!”

Woojin stared at his brother in shock. For months now, sheer endless months, he refused to go anywhere near his powers. Until extremely recently, he couldn’t even tolerate seeing Chan use his powers, and now…

“Seungmin, please…” He whispered, but no one heard him. He couldn’t lift his voice any further, though, overwhelmed with the determination in Seungmin’s voice and expression.

He wanted to truthfully say he was torn between wanting to find Jisung and save him, and keeping his brother safe from any harm, but the truth was for him there was nothing to be torn over. As much as he loved Jisung, Seungmin was his everything, and the memories of Seungmin waking up screaming from night terrors that kept him from sleeping for ages, so much so that he could do nothing but stand by and watch his brother waste away from lack of rest and self-care were far too fresh in his mind. He couldn’t bear the thought of Seungmin going back to that, for no reason at all, not even saving Jisung.

He was alone with those thoughts, though, Seungmin as uncaring about the consequences as Chan and Changbin.

“I can see them now! Slow down, slow down!” Seungmin gasped, his gaze unfocused as he stared out of the window, but it was obvious he was seeing something different from them, beyond the dusty reds and browns of the planet’s surface.

Changbin slowed them down further and Seungmin scanned the ground they passed methodically. Woojin barely registered Chan grabbing hold of his hand until his fingers started to hurt from how tight he was holding on. It at least managed to snap Woojin out of his own dark thoughts, focusing on the here and now. He wanted to keep focusing on Seungmin, but his brother seemed as fine as was probably possible given the circumstances; Chan, on the other hand, not so much.

There was more going on with the captain than what met the eye, Woojin could tell. His gaze kept going out of focus, and it wasn’t because he was using his powers, like Seungmin. Most likely, he was seeing something else when he looked out of the windows, _somewhere_ else that had gone through a similar situation. And seeing Chan like that, he could no longer worry about Seungmin, not when his brother was seemingly fine. He had to shift his attention to Chan, adjusting their position in the chair they were sharing to wrap his arms around him.

Chan’s gaze focused again, and he turned his head to look at Woojin. Woojin just stared back. There was nothing he could say to reassure Chan, nothing but empty promises that would only hurt more than comfort. All he could do was hold him, ground him.

“Left! Left! I got him!!” Seungmin suddenly shouted out, and Changbin whipped the ship around so fast Chan and Woojin were almost thrown out of their chair. Miraculously, Changbin and Seungmin stayed on their feet.

Changbin slowed the ship down further, in an attempt to make sure not to rush past Jisung’s location, but the slower pace spiked Chan’s anxiousness again, especially when the ground right in front of where they were passing suddenly cracked open, tearing streets and houses apart in its path and quickly filling with the sluggish, incandescent mass of molten rock of the inside of the planet.

“We’re getting closer! I think he’s in that huge reddish gray building down the road from the machinery hold!” Seungmin informed, pointing out of the windshield to a big building in the distance, and Changbin corrected their course, bringing them closer. He had to swerve out of the way of a fountain of lava shooting out of another rapidly forming crack in the ground, but he dodged it safely.

“He’s in there! Ground floor, pretty much in the middle but slightly to the left!”

Changbin nodded.

“I’m not going to land, I’ll keep hovering above ground, as low as I can. You’ll have to jump to get out and get Sung!”

Seungmin nodded, turning around to run off the bridge.

Chan and Woojin looked after him in shock for a second, before jumping up at the same time and following him.

“You can’t go out there!” Woojin shouted after Seungmin, but Seungmin didn’t stop.

“I’m the only one who can find him fast enough to give us at least a chance at getting him and us out of here safely!” He argued back, jumping down the flights of stairs to the cargo bay several steps at a time.

“You won’t be able to get him out on time! He’s inside the building, isn’t he? How are you going to get in?!”

“I’ll find a way!” Seungmin countered, and Chan sped up to catch up to him.

“I’m coming with you! I’ll get you in!”

Woojin’s heart near stopped.

“You- _what_?! No way! You’re not going out there-” Chan and Seungmin turned around to give him matching glares that had him quickly rethink his words “-without me!” He tacked on, and if he was being honest, he would rather jump headfirst into one of those lava-filled cracks opening everywhere across the planet’s surface than know Seungmin and Chan out there. But if they went, he went.

“Hold on to something tightly, I’m opening the ramp! That way I can get you closer to the ground before you have to jump!” Changbin’s voice filled the bay, and the trio took a few steps back from the ramp.

As soon as it unlatched, heat filled the bay, and it only got more intense with every millimeter that the ramp lowered, opening the interior of the ship to the atmosphere on the planet. The air was almost boiling, pungent with sulphuric gases and painful to breathe. Neither of them cared, though, Woojin only one step behind as Seungmin and Chan started down the ramp before it was even fully lowered.

They jumped, landing in the dust of the road, and Woojin almost screamed as it felt as if his feet were burning as soon as they touched the ground. Chan and Seungmin’s expressions looked similarly pain-filled as he felt, yet their determination won over the pain and they started off running towards the looming building in front of them as soon as they had gathered their footing and bearings. Woojin scrambled to keep up with them, but he did the best he could.

It was their luck that he was forced a few paces behind them, that way he saw the danger coming their way, giving him time to shout a warning.

“Wait!! Stop! _Stop!!_ ” The urgency and sheer panic that cracked his voice managed to catch Chan and Seungmin’s attention long enough to slow them down and look back at him, making them see the danger themselves. Still, it took Chan throwing his arms around Seungmin and using his powers to throw them back and out of the way to save them, as the ground disappeared right where they had been running just a second before.

Woojin reached them running, helping them regain his footing, when a deafening rumble had them whip their heads around to the building in front of them.

Their hearts near stopped as they followed the crack that had cut their path off to the building: it continued straight on to the building, disappearing under its foundation. The rumbling grew louder, and with a series of sickening bangs that sounded like small explosions, the building seemed to break in half, straight down the middle. The roof started to collapse along with the top floors, until the ground started to raise on each side of the crack in the ground and the collapsing of the building continued to the outer walls.

Woojin could only stare in horror. They had gotten so close, _so close_ …

He felt more than heard Chan’s desperate cry next to him, until a wave of an invisible power knocked into him with such force that he lost his vision and any other sense of orientation for the time being.

It couldn’t be true.

They couldn’t have gotten so close just to-

No.

It couldn’t.

It just couldn’t.

As he was clouded in nothingness, bereft of all his senses from the wave of Chan’s powers washing over him, he could feel, see, hear his own heart breaking with astounding clarity. For Chan, for Changbin, and for Seungmin, who loved Jisung so very much.

For Jisung.

And for himself, realizing only now how much he cared, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, my tags say minor character death, not major. Jisung is not a minor character! Everything will be alright, eventually. Promise.


	13. Where he goes, I go

Chan stared in horror as the building seemed to collapse in slow motion, the sight knocking the wind out of him and filling him with incomparable agony. Along with the structure just out of reach, he felt as if his own foundations were crumbling, like he was falling; faster, deeper, towards a place so devastating the likes of which not even his nightmares could conjure.

He was aware of his powers flaring out around him in a shock-wave, though not a destructive one. He was reaching out, seeking to hold onto something, to someone, to save what he could of what was left to him. He could only feel Seungmin and Woojin at his side, his powers wrapping around them blindly in horror and a frenzy to keep at least them safe.

His sight blurred, all he was able to see was the building collapsing, time and time again, in slow motion and sped up at the same time, as if he was caught in a loop. He didn’t know how much time passed, or if any passed at all.

He only came to when a sharp pain exploded across his left cheek, and he blinked hastily as he reached up to cup his face. As soon as his vision focused on the present and the sight in front of him, he was met with Seungmin’s exasperated expression.

“Tell me you are with me, I don’t want to have to hit you again, it really scares the shit out of me to have to do that, I don’t want to end up a stain in the dirt if you lash out blindly in reaction once it registers!” Seungmin rambled, too fast for Chan to follow.

“What?! I-”

“Oh, good, you’re back! Chan, we don’t have time to waste; Jisung needs us!”

“Jisung-…!”

“Yes, Jisung! He’s fine, Chan, we can still get to him!”

It took too long for those words to register with Chan, and Seungmin was not having it. Without waiting for Chan, he started tugging at his arms, shaking him in the process.

“Chan, snap out of it, would you! Woojin, you too! I need you two to get your shit together!” He eventually yelled, and maybe it helped, since the two older ones scrambled to their feet. As soon as they had somewhat regained their footing, Seungmin turned and started towards the building again. Woojin was the first to register his brother’s actions, and he grabbed Chan’s arm in passing, dragging him with him to follow the younger when he took a beat too long.

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for Chan to be fully present again, too, no longer needing Woojin to drag him along and running for himself. They reached the first of the rubble of the collapsed building in no time, and while it didn’t hinder them much at first, that soon changed. Chan reached out with his powers to start removing blocks of concrete and stone, but Woojin stopped him.

“Don’t! We need to be careful if we don’t want the rest to fully collapse before we can get to Jisung!”

Unmasked fear flashed across Chan’s face and he nodded numbly.

“Where to, Min?!” Woojin turned to his brother, who pointed ahead of them.

“There!”

Woojin nodded, taking the lead.

“Chan, this beam, over there!”

Chan didn’t waste time, trusting Woojin blindly as he reached out to get a hold of the beam with his powers and dragging it out of the way. To his horror a whole section of wall came loose in the process and slid down the side of the pile of rubble. It fell onto a different broken wall section that lifted up on the opposite end, and suddenly they were standing in front of an opening.

Woojin didn’t wait before starting forward again, Chan and Seungmin on his heels. The opening was a hallway that led further into the building and into pitch darkness as the walls and ceiling there were mostly intact still, not letting in any of the daylight.

Chan clenched a hand into a fist, accumulating energy there that he changed and morphed until his fist started to glow a faint white, illuminating just enough of their surroundings that they didn’t run into collapsed pieces of ceiling and wall. The brothers didn’t question him as he took over the lead.

“Left!” Was all Seungmin eventually said when they reached an intersection, and just a few seconds later: “Here!”, having them stop in front of a door. Chan didn’t wait to rip the door off its hinges.

Behind the door lay a very short hallway, no longer than two steps, and behind that a room that looked like a living room which had started collapsing in one corner. All three of them spotted the figure huddled in the opposite corner immediately, despite the layers of dust covering them and painting them in a greyish red along with the rest of the room around them.

“Jisung!” Chan shouted breathlessly, rushing in immediately.

It was only when he was almost next to him that he registered Jisung wasn’t alone, holding on to someone he was shielding with his body and who only became visible when Jisung sat up, turning around to stare at the trio with wide eyes.

“Sung!” Chan near sobbed, cupping Jisung’s face in his free hand, as if he couldn’t believe he was really there.

“Ch-chan…! What are you-”

“We don’t have time! We have to get out of here!” Woojin urged as a rumbling sound none of them liked started all around them and Chan jumped to his feet again, ready to protect them from collapsing building parts if need be.

“Woojin?!”

“We’re not going to let you die here, Sung! Come, we’re getting you out of here!”

To everyone’s confusion, Jisung shook his head, though, not moving from where he was crouching.

“N-… You can’t- I can’t!”

Chan stared at him in disbelief.

“What do you mean?! Sung, you’ll die here! This whole planet is being destroyed!”

Jisung flinched, and tears sprang to his eyes, quickly flowing over and following in the tracks of others that had already painted lighter paths in the grime and dust covering his face.

“I can’t. I won’t… I’m not leaving him!”

Chan shook his head, only then registering the figure in Jisung’s arms again.

“You don’t have to, we’ll take him too-” He was cut off when the rumble around them transitioned to a series of violent shakes that caused dust to start falling from the ceiling, soon followed by pieces of mortar of varying sizes until Chan’s powers stopped them from raining down on them. The shaking died down again and Chan carefully lowered the shield he had thrown over them.

“We need to go!”

Jisung shook his head again, though, and Chan surged forward, holding Jisung by his shoulders.

“I’m not leaving you, Jisung! We’re getting you out of here!” With that, he pushed Jisung back, away from the person he was shielding, and gathered the limp form in his own arms.

“Chan! You can’t-!” Jisung started, but Chan wasn’t listening, brushing Jisung’s outstretched hands away.

“If you won’t leave without him, he’s coming with us! You are not going down with this planet!”

Determined, Chan turned towards the door, Jisung scrambling to catch up with him. He still protested weakly, but he followed Chan, along with Woojin who was dragging Seungmin with him. For a moment Chan wondered why Seungmin needed to be dragged by Woojin to follow them, but he was soon distracted by a new wave of shaking that threatened to sweep them off their feet and bury them under the building. He had too much on his hands carrying the limp body in his arms and keeping them all safe from falling pieces of ceiling to worry about that.

The shaking didn’t stop this time around, and as more and more of the building collapsed, Chan found himself forced to use his powers to clear their way out of the building.

“Woojin, did you bring a blaster?” He grit out between clenched teeth.

“Two. Why?”

“Lead the way and shoot in front of us. I need the blasts!”

Woojin didn’t ask further, doing as Chan asked, and Chan used the energy of the blasts to move blocks of collapsed wall and ceiling ahead of them. It was a sheer endless struggle, the pieces he shoved and blasted out of the way destabilizing the structure around them even further, more and more pieces falling to block their path.

“Woojin, give me everything you got!” Chan eventually panted, and this time Woojin turned around to question him, though he never got to it as the ground started to lift underneath them, sending Woojin stumbling a few steps back towards Chan.

“Do it!” Chan yelled, desperation leaking into his voice, and he saw fear flash across Woojin’s face. Thankfully, Woojin turned back around to shoot as many blasts as he could. Chan put his whole focus in those blasts, using them to blow away the whole side of the building just as the ground under their feet rose with another jerk, leaving the path outside clear for them; at the same time, it also left what was still standing of the building above them without support, and it started tilting outwards.

_“Run!”_

He wasn’t sure if that order had really been necessary, but he was glad it wasn’t being contested, even as it became harder as the ground rose further, the incline becoming steeper.

“Just jump! I got you!” He shouted again as they reached the edge of the piece of ground that was rising above the rest.

This time, no one did as he said, though, staring down at the crack at their feet that was rapidly filling with molten lava.

Without time for discussion, Chan barreled into the backs of Seungmin and Woojin, shoving them off the edge. As he started to fall himself, he used the legs of the body in his arms to unbalance Jisung as well. The energy of the fall alone was enough for him to use to change their trajectories, depositing first Woojin and Seungmin, then himself and Jisung on the other side of the crack. He would have wished for the landing to be smoother, but they couldn’t afford to waste any time.

“If we get out of this alive, I am going to kill you!” Woojin shouted as soon as he managed to get back onto his feet, while Chan winced as the ground they were standing on tilted, too, this time downwards.

“Let’s just get out of this alive first before we make future plans!” Chan grit out, not daring to look back behind him.

In that moment the sound of engines whirring approached, the Esmerilhao casting her large shadow over them. The ramp to the main bay was lowered still as Changbin maneuvered the ship closer to the ground in front of them, though he couldn’t stop the ship.

“He’s not going to land her, is he? We’ll never get her back up if he does!” Woojin exclaimed, panicked, and Chan shook his head.

“He won’t! He can’t even hover her like this, we have to run and jump! Don’t look back!” Chan panted, just as they all started running.

Woojin easily took the lead, though Seungmin stayed hot on his heels.

“Run, Sung, I’m right behind you!” Chan encouraged Jisung, but he still looked back to make sure Chan was telling the truth before putting his everything into running after the ship.

The first to leap was Woojin, naturally, and he hoisted himself up onto the ramp with ease. With his help, Seungmin made it safely, too. Jisung took a while longer to catch up, and he started to turn around again to look for Chan, but a shout from Woojin that Chan couldn’t make out caught his attention again and he put the extra effort in to catch up the last few steps he needed to jump onto the ramp. Woojin caught him, and it was a good thing he didn’t let go of him immediately, since Jisung would probably have done the stupid thing and jumped right back off the ramp when he turned around and saw how far behind Chan was, still carrying the unconscious boy Jisung had been holding on to in the ruins of his home.

The absolute horror in Jisung’s expression spurred Chan on to run faster despite the weight he was carrying making it that much harder, but he was still not fast enough.

“Chan! You won’t make it like this!” Woojin shouted, despair and anger in his voice. Chan could vividly imagine what the other wanted to tell him, but was refraining to for now. There was no way Chan would let go of the man in his arms, though; Jisung would never forgive him. In an extra effort, he used his powers to propel him that bit faster, to make the body he was carrying feel lighter, and he managed to catch up a bit.

The ground shook under Chan, the incline becoming steeper, and Chan stumbled. He managed to catch himself, but when he looked up again he noticed with dread that he was running out of time. Only a few more seconds, and Changbin would have to pull the Esmerilhao up, or else they would crash into another piece of ground that was rising ahead of them.

He could hear a frustrated cry coming through the intercoms in the bay, identifying it as Changbin’s, just before the Esmerilhao braked sharply and he finally managed to catch up. With a monumental effort, he hoisted the man onto the ramp as he reached it, but Changbin had to pull up the Esmerilhao in that exact moment to keep it from touching down, and he didn’t make it onto the ramp itself. With a last leap of faith, he managed to grab the edge of the ramp, barely holding on to it as he was yanked off the surface of the planet.

“ _Chan!”_ Woojin’s cry sounded painful even to Chan, who could barely compute anything going around him in his effort to just hold on to the ramp with his already tired and rapidly weakening arms.

Woojin’s face appeared over the edge of the ramp, horror painted on his features that morphed so quickly into relief that Chan would have gotten whiplash if he’d had the time and mind to focus on it. As it was, he could only feel relief when Woojin surged forward, laying down on the ramp to reach down and hold onto Chan’s arms.

Chan found a new kind of respect for Woojin when he felt how tightly he was holding on to him, his grip sure to leave bruises later – not that that was a concern Chan had in that moment – and pulled him up onto the ramp. They landed in a heap on the ramp, and as soon as they hit the ground, Changbin started closing the ramp, making them roll over each other and into the interior of the ship until they landed on the floor in the bay.

Still, even after they had come to a halt, Woojin didn’t let go of Chan.

“You fucking asshole…” Woojin muttered eventually, just low enough for only Chan to hear, and tightened his grip even more for a moment. “I swear, if you ever pull something like that again, I’m going to kill you with my own two hands!” His threat lacked any heat as his arms shook around Chan, holding him close still.

Chan found the energy to chuckle softly, perfectly content with not moving out of Woojin’s hold for the moment, since he really didn’t have the strength yet to do anything else.

“I feel inclined to let you do that, should it come to it.”

Finally, Woojin disentangled himself from Chan, and Chan saw the others spread out around them. Unsurprisingly, Jisung was hovering over the man they had found him with, while Seungmin was staring at the two with an unreadable expression almost all the way on the opposite end of the bay.

As soon as Woojin took the scene in, too, his expression hardened, becoming unreadable. He started to say something, but Changbin’s voice over the intercom interrupted him before he could even start.

“I hate to call you up so soon, but I need a bit of help up here! They are going to try to swipe us out of the sky and I’d rather not stay on this planet a second longer than necessary!”

Woojin and Chan shared a short look, and then Woojin turned around abruptly, making his way over to Seungmin and guiding him, almost forcefully, out of the bay. Chan was confused, to say the least, but they didn’t have time for that. As best as he could, he dragged himself over to Jisung and the stranger, who had woken up at some point; at least somewhat. His eyes didn’t waver from Jisung, even as Jisung looked up at Chan, though.

“You need to take him to the infirmary, and get him secured there. I’ll be there as soon as I can, ok?”

Jisung’s expression looked haunted, but when a sharp swerve of the ship almost succeeded in sending them skidding across the bay, he nodded. Chan reached out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly before hauling himself up and making his way up to the bridge as fast as he could, too.

He found Changbin and Woojin there, but no trace of Seungmin. He didn’t have time to wonder about his whereabouts, either, plopping down into his designated chair. Changbin shot him a look over his shoulder.

“You look like absolute shit. You sure you can handle this?”

Chan didn’t even look at him, focusing on the scene in front of them, where several Alliance fighters were heading their way.

“I have to. Start firing!”

“Like hell I will, we’re too far out for a single shot to hit. Save your strength to aid me, not to take over!” Woojin snapped, equally focused. Chan wanted to argue, but he was so tired he had to concede the point to Woojin against his will.

Before much longer, they were within firing distance, and Woojin did open fire. His aim was deadly, the first of the Alliance ships going up in flames and sinking towards the boiling planet below them before they even had time to react. The others were better prepared, rising their shields just like Changbin had long since done on the Esmerilhao, and didn’t succumb as easily.

Chan decided to intervene, amplifying the blasts Woojin fired at the ships to get between and behind their shields, and soon a second ship exploded into a myriad of pieces, while a third was forced to back off. All the while, shots hailed down on their shields, too, but they held up. Changbin’s maneuvering skills helped, too, and with a jerk of the ship that did throw Woojin’s shots off, they jumped out of the line of fire, and two of the Alliance fighters firing at them took each other out. Changbin made a break for it, propelling them out of the collapsing atmosphere. In no time, they were too fast for the Alliance fighters to keep up. With a tentatively relieved sigh, Chan started to lean back in his seat, and soon the tension seeped out of Changbin and Woojin’s shoulders, too; Changbin’s more than Woojin’s, who stood up instead of leaning back.

“If you don’t need me up here anymore, I have somewhere else to be…” he didn’t wait for anyone to say whether they needed him or not, though, stalking off the bridge.

“What’s his deal?” Changbin muttered lowly once the doors to the bridge closed behind him.

“I’m not sure. Something with Seungmin, is my guess. I think something happened that really shook Minnie up…”

Changbin gave him a questioning look, but Chan could only shrug.

“I have no idea what. But I’m sure Woojin got this. I have to go see Sung and that guy he’s with… he’s in bad shape, and Sung obviously cares a ton about him.”

Changbin frowned.

“Chan… You’re not in the best shape, either…!”

Chan shrugged, forcing himself out of his chair against the protests of his body.

“I’ll live. Him, though… Possibly debatable, if we don’t do anything soon.”

Changbin didn’t comment further as Chan left the bridge, too, though his frown was unmistakable. 

*#*#*#*

Jisung and the man were talking in hushed voices when Chan opened the door to the infirmary, but fell silent as soon as Chan stepped inside. Jisung’s eyes flitted indecisively between the man and Chan, before fixing on Chan when the man’s eyes closed again, and he undoubtedly slipped back into unconsciousness.

“What happened to him?” Chan asked as soon as he came to a halt next to the cot Jisung had placed the stranger on.

“He was hit by debris, but that’s not the worst part…” Jisung volunteered quickly.

“Oh?”

“There was an accident with fumes at work, and he… He inhaled too much of those. That’s how he got hit by the falling debris in the first place, he wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way.”

Chan nodded, trying to assess the damage from afar through the layer of dust and grime covering the man. There wasn’t much to see, though.

“Do you think he’ll mind if I check…?”

Jisung shook his head.

“No. I already told him how your powers work, he’s ok with it.”

Chan nodded, placing his hands on the man’s chest to help channel his exhausted powers into his body to assess the damage.

It was glaringly apparent where the debris hat hit him, and Chan did his best to fix what he could to help him heal. The damage the fumes had wrought to the man’s lungs and nerves were a different story, though, and he could only do the bare minimum to stop the situation from aggravating and start a healing process, at least until he managed to get more of his powers back.

He didn’t know how long the whole procedure actually took him in the end, but he felt stiff and uncomfortable from not moving in a while when he eventually retracted his focus out of the man’s body and blinked his eyes open again. The first thing that met his eyes was Jisung’s anxious gaze.

“Could you help him? Are you ok?” Jisung asked with a weak voice.

Chan nodded.

“I did. I couldn’t heal him fully, so he needs to rest for now, and I’ll do what I can later when I have more of my powers back, but he’ll be ok until then.”

Jisung nodded, some tension leaving his shoulders.

“And you?”

“I’ll be fine, too. Just a little tired. What about you, though?”

Jisung took a shaky breath which he exhaled slowly.

“I’m fine, there’s just a few scrapes…” He answered, evading Chan’s gaze until he no longer could. Tears were rimming his eyes, and Chan took a step closer to him.

“Can I… Can I hug you?” Chan’s voice barely carried, sounding small and broken, but Jisung’s gave up completely, leaving him only nodding in answer.

Chan didn’t wait any longer, quickly encasing the Atalaian in a tight hug that near crushed him against his chest. Jisung didn’t seem to mind, returning the hug just as forcefully as he hid his face against Chan’s shoulder, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was crying.

“I missed you… I missed you so, so much…” Chan found himself whispering into Jisung’s hair, silent tears spilling out of his eyes, too.

“I missed you, too… All of you. I wanted to call you so often… So, so often…”

“You could have, at any time, Sung. We would always have dropped everything and everyone to come to you, no matter what…”

Jisung sniffled, his hands balling to fists in Chan’s clothes for a moment.

“I know… I know. That’s… That’s why I didn’t call. I… I needed to stay away. Especially… Especially after I met Minho…”

Chan frowned, but didn’t loosen his hold on Jisung.

“Minho?”

Jisung nodded, raising his head just slightly to nod at the unconscious man on the cot.

“Him.”

Chan was still confused, though.

“Why?”

This time, Jisung pulled away further, far enough to look Chan in the eyes.

“You don’t recognize him, do you?”

Chan shook his head.

“Should I?”

Jisung shrugged.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Probably.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t have called you…”

Chan shook his head, not understanding, and took a step back to cup Jisung’s face.

“Sung, you’re not making sense… Of course you had to call; you would have _died_ if you hadn’t!”

Jisung didn’t look particularly fazed by that, all things considered.

“I know… That’s why I did call, in the end. I didn’t want to, but… I was panicking when all that started. You know, Changbin and I did some research, behind your back so we wouldn’t upset you, but… Thanks to that, I knew what was going on. I knew we were going to die, but… I wanted to at least hear your voice one more time before everything was over. Thanks to you, I at least had a shot at a normal life for once, even if short-lived. I owe it all to you, and Changbin… And Woojin and Seungmin, too… Even if I was no longer with you, I still owed it all to you. And I missed you so damn much…”

Chan pulled Jisung back into the hug, holding him close.

“Oh, Sung… Sungie…”

Jisung only gave into the hug for a short while, though, before he tensed in Chan’s hold.

“It was selfish of me, and I am so sorry… I am grateful you came to save me, and saved Minho, too, but… Chan, I… I can’t stay with you.”

Chan’s heart near stopped in that moment, freezing painfully. For the longest time, he couldn’t say anything. He felt that he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Why?” He pressed out weakly, and it was a miracle Jisung could even hear him.

Jisung shook his head before turning in Chan’s hold to look over at the man -Minho, Jisung had called him, Chan’s mind supplied- sadly.

“I love him, Chan. I can’t- I don’t want to be where he isn’t.”

It did nothing to help with Chan’s confusion.

“But-…”

“Don’t say it. He- We can’t stay. We could never do this to-… to all of you.”

Frustration rose more and more in Chan as his confusion increased, and Jisung seemed to finally notice it.

“You really don’t recognize him…”

Chan could only shake his head, and Jisung stepped back out of his embrace, putting a full arm’s length of distance between them.

“Woojin and Seungmin did, though…”

“What…?”

“Chan, Minho… Minho is the soldier that held Seungmin and Changbin hostage, back during… during that one raid…”

If that was supposed to help Chan’s confusion, it didn’t. Well, it explained Woojin and Seungmin’s behaviour, it explained why Jisung said he couldn’t stay, but…

“ _How_?! But you…”

Jisung nodded.

“I thought so, too. But I didn’t. I stabbed him, but I didn’t kill him. He was incapacitated by the stab, and damn close to dying. But the Alliance didn’t let him die. He was a very valuable tool to them, and they did everything possible to save his life. But… when I stabbed him, my dagger went through the base of his skull-” Chan flinched, and Jisung grimaced, too. “-and it destroyed a device they had implanted there that they used to control him. Since my dagger caught on it, it didn’t kill him, but it did enough damage. They couldn’t salvage it, and couldn’t find a way to install a new device to keep controlling him. Without it, he was finally able to resist them and lie to them, and he told them he had lost his powers. They tested him, but he was able to fool them. And then they deemed him useless, without his powers, and dumped him on the next best planet, which happened to be Queiriga.”

Chan stared at Jisung as if he had sprouted a second head, but he found himself nodding slowly. As absurd as Jisung’s explanation sounded, it made sense. He knew of the experiments the Alliance performed on those with mental powers if they could get their hands on them, and it didn’t surprise him that Minho was no exception.

“They controlled him?”

Jisung nodded.

“They used his powers against him. He is able to control other people’s brains and minds to a degree, but with the device they implanted in him, they were able to redirect his powers and take over, controlling his mind even better than he can with others. He became a passenger in his own body while they did with him what they wanted. Chan, he never wanted to hurt anyone; he’s not evil!” His voice became desperately insistent towards the end, and all Chan could do was nod placatingly.

“I believe you, Sung. I understand. The Alliance has been known to do shit like that to those of us with mental powers for a long time. I just didn’t know they’d made this much progress. But… If you trust Minho, I will believe you; I trust you. And I won’t punish him for something that is not his fault.”

Jisung stared at Chan incredulously, but when he could see nothing but sincerity in his gaze, he surged forward to hug Chan again with a choked sob. Chan caught him, placing a soft kiss atop his head as he held him. Jisung pulled away again just slightly after he’d calmed down from the new onset of tears.

“You see why we can’t stay with you, though?”

Chan’s heart clenched painfully.

“Don’t worry about that now, Sungie… Let Minho heal first, and get some rest. Your cabin… We haven’t touched it. It’s still all yours. Or you can pull out the second cot and stay in here, it’s up to you. Or maybe… I’m sure Changbin would love to catch up with you, too. I… I have to go do something, now, ok? You know your way around…”

Jisung didn’t look happy with the non-answer, but he didn’t protest. He was acutely aware of how much Chan must be hurting at the news that he was going to leave them again. He just couldn’t stay, though. Not with Minho. It wouldn’t be fair to Seungmin, in the slightest.

*#*#*#*

Chan knew he should go to sleep, or at least rest, but that was not what he was doing, for the cabin-door he found himself in front of was not his own.

“Woojin?”

“Come in.” The voice inside was muffled, purposely spoken in a soft tone. Chan stepped into the cabin, finding Woojin sitting on the edge of his bed, softly brushing his fingers through the hair of his sleeping brother. Contrary to his soft voice and the gentle actions, Woojin’s gaze looked as if there was nothing he wanted more than to murder someone; and Chan had a good idea now who that someone would be.

“How’s he doing?” Chan asked gently, going to take a seat at the desk against the wall opposite the bed.

“He cried for ages and hasn’t spoken a word; he’s been asleep maybe ten minutes, if even that long.”

Chan grimaced at that.

“I’m so sorry, Woojin… I honestly didn’t recognize the guy until Jisung told me who he is, just now…”

Woojin’s eyes sparked with hatred, but he quickly hid the look again, biting back the words that already sat on his tongue in favour of others.

“It’s ok… You did what you had to, to save Jisung…” He managed to concede, clearly at war with himself.

Chan went to answer, but he stopped when Seungmin whined in his sleep, and Woojin’s full attention returned to his brother.

“Shh, it’s ok. You’re ok, I’m here, Min; I’m here!” He hushed him gently, taking his hand in his own and cupping his face in the other, brushing his thumb along his cheekbone gently until Seungmin settled down again. Only then did he turn around to acknowledge Chan again.

“What are you going to do? Now that you know who _he_ is?”

Chan felt suddenly small, put in a spot he didn’t want to be in but couldn’t escape.

“I don’t know…” He answered honestly. “I talked to Jisung, and he… He explained to me how Minho is even alive still… and why. He’s… He’s not a bad guy, Woojin. Jisung wouldn’t be this in love with him if he was. According to Jisung, his mind was being manipulated by the Alliance in a way that left him with no free will at all, before Jisung stabbed him and somehow destroyed whatever they were using to control him. He’s… He’s innocent, technically.”

Woojin’s gaze didn’t soften the smallest degree.

“Even if that is true… It doesn’t change what happened. It doesn’t change what Seungmin went through, what he’s still going through, and how his presence is affecting him. Chan, I’m not going to have Seungmin have to face the cause for his trauma day in and day out. I’m not going to stay on the same ship with that man, and neither will Seungmin.”

Chan felt Woojin’s words like the final blow with a rusty dagger to his heart, and he found himself nodding weakly.

“Please, give us just a little time. Just enough for him to heal enough to be awake so I can talk to him myself, before I make a decision.”

Woojin nodded after a moment of consideration, but the look he gave Chan told him he didn’t have a choice. Chan swallowed thickly, leaving the cabin without another word.

He felt empty as his feet carried him down to the bays where he hoped no one would look for him. He would have expected to feel affronted by the ultimatum uttered by Woojin, but if he was being honest, he only felt empty.

The ‘choice’ he had was no choice. He could only decide in which way he wanted to destroy himself. He was either going to lose Jisung, after only just getting him back and the shock of almost losing him for good, or Woojin and Seungmin, along with the ship. How was he supposed to choose?!

He paced up and down the length of the empty bay he had chosen until his legs gave in under him. He didn’t make an effort to stand back up again, curling in on himself right there as he let the agony in his heart spill out in the form of tears and a muted cry that echoed off the cold metal walls around him. He didn’t try to muffle his sobs as he broke down. All he hoped for was for his exhaustion to reach a point where it took him away to blissful unconsciousness.

He hoped in vain, though, and after hours upon hours of waiting in vain for the relief that never came, he dragged himself off the floor and back to the higher decks of the ship.

His first trek was to the infirmary, where he wasn’t surprised in the slightest to find Jisung sat on the edge of Minho’s cot. What relieved him was seeing the soft smile with which the Atalaian was looking down at the other. Clearly, that must mean good news.

Jisung looked up as soon as he noticed Chan entering the room, and his smile turned sad.

“Hey… You look like shit.”

Chan scoffed lightly as he approached the two.

“Thank you so much. I feel the part, too. But that’s not important. Hi, Minho. I’m Chan!”

Minho tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but Chan quickly pushed him back down.

“No, don’t! Don’t strain yourself, try to get as much rest as possible. You took quite the beating…”

Minho grimaced but relented, sinking back onto the cot.

“I guess I did… Thank you for helping me… And saving us!”

Chan just nodded in acknowledgement of his thanks.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Terrible, but not quite as close to death as before.”

Chan chuckled.

“You’re a honest one, huh…”

Mino tilted his head.

“I try my best.”

“Would you mind if I check you over and try to heal you some more?”

To Chan’s surprise it wasn’t Minho who answered to his question, though.

“Should you really be doing that? You didn’t sleep last night, did you?” Jisung interrupted any possible answer from Minho. Chan sighed.

“I didn’t, but my powers still regenerated. I’ll be ok to heal Minho some more.”

“That is very generous of you, Chan, but… I feel like I have already used more of your hospitality than I deserve. Jisung told me all about your crew, and what happened after that day when we first met… I couldn’t possibly ask any more of you after what I did.” Minho declined with a small, sad smile, just to be vehemently interrupted by Jisung.

“It wasn’t your fault! Minho, it was _not_ your fault! It wasn’t _you_ who did that!”

Minho reached out to take one of the hands Jisung had balled to fists at his side into his own, and Chan could see in the way he looked at Jisung in that moment that Jisung’s love was in no way one-sided. Despite how much he was hurting himself, he was glad Jisung had found Minho, if he’d found this kind of mutual love with him.

“It doesn’t change what happened, Sung. I hurt your friend in ways you can’t even begin to understand, and I hope you never will.” Minho admonished gently before turning back to Chan. “And I don’t expect your forgiveness, but for what it’s worth, I am deeply sorry. I’m not proud of what was done, and if I had any way to change what happened, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I don’t know of any, so the least I can do is not be a walking reminder sticking around to hurt the young Taviran even more. All I dare to ask of you is to set me down on the next best planet, so I won’t be the salt in anyone’s wounds any longer than the strictly necessary. I would be infinitely grateful if it was a free one where I won’t have to live under Alliance scrutiny, but really, anything is fine if that is too much trouble.”

This man- boy, Chan corrected to himself, because really, he seemed so _young_ still- was clearly not a monster; not at all. He was no more and no less than just another poor haunted soul that had suffered unfairly under the Alliance’s vile fist. He didn’t deserve to be chucked out on a random planet, not anymore than Jisung did, and there was no way he would ever bestow such a fate on his Jisungie!

Still, he felt numb inside, empty and scarily emotionless, as he nodded mechanically to his request.

“Of course. I’ll make sure we find you the best possible option in this and the surrounding districts.”

Jisung looked pained as he fixed Chan after his words, but his gaze didn’t waver.

“I’m staying with Minho, Chan. If he goes, I go.”

Chan could see Minho squeezing Jisung’s hand in a small gesture of gratitude that only betrayed how vulnerable he really felt despite his brave words. It felt so, _so_ wrong to leave Minho to his fate, with or without Jisung; though, despite everything, Chan felt almost relieved at knowing he wouldn’t be completely alone, even if that meant he had to let go of Jisung again.

“I know; you’ve told me as much. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I am ok with that, but I won’t keep you, Sung. I respect your decision.” He answered honestly, before turning back to Minho. “If you don’t want to accept my healing help, make sure to get as much rest as possible, still. You will need it. I’ll leave you to it, now.” He nodded in departure before turning to leave the infirmary again.

He wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he had barely made it down the hallway when the fast padding of running feet caught up behind him. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Jisung again.

Jisung didn’t say anything, but as soon as he was facing him directly again, Jisung surged forward and launched himself into Chan’s arms once again.

“I’m so sorry, Sung…” Chan whispered into his hair as he held him, soft sobs shaking Jisung’s frame. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this…”

Jisung shook his head once he managed to get his tears under control again.

“It’s ok… I understand. We can’t do this to Minnie. Speaking of… do you think I could go and see him?”

Chan rose an eyebrow in surprise.

“You haven’t yet?”

Jisung shook his head.

“I thought you would have by now… Of course, you can; you don’t need my permission for that. I’m sure he won’t be opposed to seeing you, too. You’ll probably find him in Woojin’s cabin.”

Jisung nodded slowly, extracting himself from Chan’s arms to dry his tears.

“I’ll go and try to find him…”

Chan gave him an encouraging smile, watching as he turned to make his way to the cabins. Only when he rounded the next corner did Chan resume his way up to the bridge.

*#*#*#*

“Jisung is leaving again, isn’t he.”

It was a statement, not a question, coming from Changbin, who didn’t even look up or at Chan as he spoke. Chan finally tore himself away from the open door to the bridge where he had been standing for a considerable amount of time, unable to make the decision to go in. Now, he made his way over to his seat, though.

“He is.” He admitted quietly, and Changbin nodded in acknowledgement, just as quietly, still without turning around.

“Will you help me find a planet for them, where they can live in peace and freedom, and start a new life? And set up an account in Jisung’s name with enough credits for him to live comfortably forever? We’ve gotten quite enough from the Alliance to do that, right? Let their money do some good in the universe for once.”

Changbin sat like frozen for a moment, but then nodded sharply, swiping something aside on his desk and pulling up something else. Out of the corner of his eye, Chan could see Changbin wiping at his eyes covertly, but soon he was starting on setting up the account for Jisung.

Chan decided to pull up star-charts instead, trying his hand at the filters to try and find a suitable planet for Jisung and Minho. Usually, Chan would get lost in his work eventually, but he wasn’t quite able to this time around; Changbin seemed to suffer from the same next to him.

Before long, Changbin hit the screen in front of him in frustration, pushing his chair back with tears brimming in his eyes again and knuckles turning white as he balled his hands into fists.

“How could you chose so easily, Chan?!” His voice shook with barely held-back tears and anger. “How could you decide to send Jisung off just like that?!”

Chan felt himself freeze from the inside out in his seat, but he tried to shake his head placatingly.

“I didn’t, Binnie… I didn’t make that choice. Minho chose to leave, and Jisung chose to stay with him...”

Changbin didn’t seem to hear him, though.

“This isn’t right! We’ve only just gotten him back; we can’t just dump him on some random ass planet just like that! He’s _family,_ Chan! He is _our_ family! His place is here, with us!”

Changbin’s tears were spilling now, and Chan felt he wasn’t too far off from joining Changbin in crying.

“I know, Bin. I know. I don’t want him to go, either; I’m hurting just as much as you are. But, there is nothing I can do… Jisung made up his mind, and I am going to respect it and the reasons that made him make that choice… He wants to be with Minho, and he can’t be with him here… Not with Seungmin here, and Seungmin is family, too, you know. And so is Woojin, and they won’t stay if Minho does…”

Changbin turned to level a scathing glare at Chan, getting up from his seat.

“This is what this is all about, isn’t it? All you care about is keeping Woojin happy!”

Chan hadn’t seen it coming, but he still managed to jump out of the way when Changbin lunged at him suddenly. He narrowly missed his jaw this time, but Changbin wasn’t one to quit easily.

“Bin, what- what are you _talking_ about?!”

“You have the hots for Woojin, and the rest of us be damned for all you care! You don’t even care about Jisung, do you? As long as you get Woojin to stick around, Jisung can rot!” Changbin spat, lunging at Chan again in between his words, but Chan managed to stumble out of the way and dodge his hits every time. He could have easily deflected them with his powers, but he wasn’t going to use them against Changbin.

“Bin, that’s not true! Jisung-”

Changbin wasn’t hearing him, though, lunging again and again, and it was near impossible for Chan to say anything in his defense. While Changbin’s hits missed, though, his words pierced Chan’s heart with unerring accuracy, and soon he was crying, too, as he dodged Changbin’s hits.

“You don’t care that Minho was a slave and there was nothing he could do against his owners, do you? He was just like me and Jisung, Chan, only he couldn’t have defied his masters even if he wanted to, because of what they did to his _brain_! You will happily dump him on some stinking ass planet and never look back, even if Jisung is with him, just to keep Woojin happy! Who is next; tell me! Are you going to chuck me off somewhere, too, if it brings a smile to Woojin’s lips?!”

“Changbin, please… That’s not it, no, I don’t- Binnie, I care! I care so much it’s tearing me apart!”

Changbin ignored him, full-on crying now with sobs wracking his body and tears clouding his vision badly. He tried to get his bearings for a moment, but ultimately decided to just charge at Chan again.

Chan was tired, though, so tired, and this time he didn’t step out of the way to dodge the blow Changbin aimed at him. He still missed, though, and all Chan did was catch Changbin, preventing him from falling form his own momentum. He held him close, not letting go once Changbin had found his balance again even as he fought for his freedom for a moment. Then, suddenly, all the fight left Changbin’s body, and he held onto Chan in turn, burying his face against his shoulder as he let out the repressed sobs.

Chan didn’t care that he was soaking his suit, his own tears running hotly down his face in tandem with Changbin’s.

“I’m so sorry, Binnie… I’m so sorry… I wish he wouldn’t leave, too. I wish he would stay with us forever. It’s not fair that we have to let him go… Not ever, but especially not now, when we’ve only just-… When he only just-…”

Changbin nodded his head against Chan’s shoulder, slowly pulling away with swollen and red eyes, and when his gaze met Chan’s pained one, he became suddenly sheepish.

“I’m so sorry, Chan… I… I’m sorry I tried to hit you… I know you… you’re suffering even more than I do. I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have tried to-…”

Chan hushed him gently, running his hand though Changbin’s hair comfortingly and pulling him back into the hug.

“It’s ok… I get it.”

Changbin relaxed into Chan’s hold again, resting his head against his shoulder once more.

“It hurts so much, Chan… So much! Seeing Jisung hurting was hell, losing him was even worse, and then almost losing him down there…! And now we have him back, and all we can do is let go of him again… I wonder… I wonder if I’ll ever feel whole again, Chan. If I can ever breathe again without feeling like there is something missing, as if a vital part of me is just gone...”

Chan tightened his hold on Changbin for a moment.

“I don’t know, Binnie… I don’t know if the pain ever goes away… I don’t know if I _want_ it to go away!”

Changbin eventually pulled out of the hug, wiping at the last few of his tears as he took deep breaths to compose himself.

“I don’t think it ever will… I don’t-… We have to look for a planet for them, don’t we. We have to… We need to find them the best damn planet in the whole universe to live on!”

Changbin was clearly trying to distract, but Chan didn’t stop him. They did have to find the very best planet for Jisung, and they needed to do it as soon as possible. And if it helped Changbin fight his tears, all the better!

Disentangling slowly, they returned to their desks and the tasks they had been occupied with before.

Neither of them noticed the figure standing in the doorway this whole time, nor did they notice them leave.

*#*#*#*

Chan’s heart was heavy when he peeked into the infirmary to find Jisung sitting next to a sleeping Minho, gently carding his fingers through the other’s hair. Upon hearing the door open, Jisung looked up, then got off the edge of the cot and signaled to Chan to wait there, since he’d join him in the hallway.

“Hey…” Jisung greeted softly once he’d closed the door behind him. “Sorry, I don’t want him to wake up again. He only just fell asleep again, and even though you’ve done a lot, I fear there is still quite a way to go until he’s fully healed again. He should get as much rest as he can, right?”

Chan nodded in understanding.

“You know I can heal him some more now, though…”

Jisung shook his head.

“He doesn’t want you to; he says he doesn’t deserve it. And he’s incredibly stubborn that way.”

Chan didn’t agree with Minho, not in the slightest, but he wasn’t about to disrespect his wishes. Case in point, his wishes was why he was down here at the moment. He didn’t want to talk about it just yet, though, unable to bear the thought right now, so he stalled for the time being.

“Minho… Do you know if he still has an implanted tracker?”

Jisung shook his head.

“They didn’t bother when they dumped him down on Queiriga. They truly believed he’d become useless to them.”

“And you are sure about that?” Chan had to make sure, and Jisung nodded.

“Absolutely. He… His powers can work similarly to yours in some aspects, you know. He can sense exactly what is going on anywhere in his body where a nerve is, and in other’s as well. He says he has no tracker anymore, and I believe him.”

Chan nodded slowly.

“In that case… I just wanted to make sure, just so no one can trace him, or you, and you can live peacefully…” He took a deep breath that resembled more a weary sigh. “And on that note… Binnie and I have run a search for suitable planets, and made you a list… You can chose one, but there’s no hurry…” He pulled out and handed Jisung a small handheld holo-screen, which Jisung scanned quickly before shoving it into his own pocket while staring at the floor with an unreadable expression.

“Thank you…”

They walked in silence for a moment, aimlessly, until Chan decided to break the silence, lest Jisung decide there was no point in them continuing to walk together. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jisung for as long as he could.

“How… How did you and Minho even meet?”

Jisung looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting that question, but it brought a chuckle out of him as soon as his surprise passed.

“I ran into him in the street… Quite literally, actually. I bumped into him when he came out of a store while I was on the way home. And then I proceeded to have a major melt-down, because I thought I was staring at a ghost, who’d come to haunt me specifically.”

Chan winced.

“Ouch…”

“Mhm… Minho didn’t recognize me at first, but he still pulled me out of the road to a more secluded place, so we wouldn’t attract as much attention. When I kept going on about how I had killed him, he recognized me, too. I don’t know how he calmed me down, but we somehow ended up in a pub. We talked for hours, he thanked me for freeing him- _freeing him_ , when I almost fucking killed him!- and I had at least two more, smaller, melt-downs that day until it really sank in that I hadn’t actually killed him, and that I had been having nightmares for months over nothing.”

Chan hummed sympathetically.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly over nothing…”

 “It wasn’t. I still felt stupid in that moment. I’ve made my peace with it since then, though; all thanks to Minho. We found out he was hired by the same people I was working for, and housed in the same building, and we started walking to and from work together, and shared most of our lunch-breaks. We just spent a whole lot of time together when we could, and things just… evolved. Quickly, but… Yeah.”

“Quickly but no less thoroughly, huh?”

Jisung shook his head.

“Definitely not. I… I sometimes genuinely think he is my soulmate or something like that; if things like that exist. He’s just… unique; so, so different, but at the same time… We just fit?”

Chan smiled a genuinely happy, soft smile.

“That’s amazing, Sung. And I’m really happy for you that you found that in him.”

Jisung smiled, too, even if he looked more at his feet than at Chan or the way ahead of them, though Chan was sure he was seeing something else entirely, anyway. Something that had probably to do with Minho’s sparkling midnight eyes and the way his lips curved in a smile, or something like that. Not that Chan blamed Jisung.

“It wasn’t just me who healed thanks to Minho, you know…” Jisung started to elaborate. “Minho has asked me a lot about you and the others, especially Changbin and Seungmin. Me talking about you… It has helped him, too. Slowly, because he has a lot more damage to work through from the time he’s been used by the Alliance, but it has done some good, at least. We’re good for each other; we might even need each other. It’s why I don’t want to leave him, for nothing and no-one.”

Chan’s heart clenched painfully, but he nodded in understanding.

“It makes sense… And I am glad you have each other, in that case. I’m not holding it against you that you are leaving again, I need you to know that, ok? Not against you nor Minho.”

Jisung stopped, holding Chan’s wrist to stop him, too.

“Thank you, Chan. I know we’re hurting you, but I swear we aren’t doing it on purpose. And we wouldn’t do it if we saw any other way…”

Chan had to blink back tears, but he succeeded and pulled Jisung in for yet another hug. He had to get a lot of those in, for he had no idea when, if ever!, he would get the chance again. When he pulled away, he reached into his pocket one more time and handed Jisung a small drive.

“This… Changbin and I set an account up for you. We’ve stolen so much from the Alliance over time… We’ve put enough credits there to last you a few lifetimes. We don’t want you to have to want for anything. No, don’t! Please, just take it. It’s all Alliance credits; they fucked you over enough times. It’s time for them to give something back!”

Jisung hesitated for a moment, but then took the drive from Chan.

“Thank you, Channie.”

The nickname brought a smile onto Chan’s face.

“If you ever need more, just give us a call. Expect me to nag about managing your finances responsibly, whenever that situation arises, but no matter if you manage to suffer through my nagging until the end or not, I’ll make sure to refill your account either way.”

Jisung laughed quietly, and Chan smiled back at him for a moment, before his smile dimmed.

“I’m serious, Sung. Please, please keep in contact this time. Don’t cut us off again. I know it’s hard, but… It’s harder to not hear from you at all. We love you too much. And we will gladly come to visit; at least Changbin and I. If you want to have us.”

Jisung took a deep breath, looking conflicted, but Chan’s pleading eyes worked away on his resolve.

“I’ll try, ok? I can’t promise it, but I promise I’ll try.”

“That’s all I can ask for…”

*#*#*#*

Minho and Jisung chose a planet, and Changbin set course without a comment. He was trying to hide how bad Jisung’s imminent departure was affecting him, but there wasn’t really a way for it to get past Chan and Jisung. It was too unusual how he just stayed silent too often rather than cutting into their conversations with teasing quips and affectionate barbs, and his eyes were way too shiny far too often. And now that they had a timeframe, it was even worse.

Changbin must have figured he wasn’t fooling Chan and Jisung, though, and he doubled his efforts at hiding how upset he was, trying to engage in conversation more. They didn’t find it in them to call him out, not when it meant he actually conversed with Jisung at last.

“Have you managed to talk to Seungmin yet?” He asked the morning of the fourth day since leaving Queiriga, the morning of the day when they would reach Burgau, the planet Jisung and Minho had chosen.

Chan rose an eyebrow, turning a questioning gaze first to Changbin, then to Jisung. The latter shook his head in answer.

“No. I think he’s avoiding me at this point, to be honest.” He replied sadly.

“What? Why?!”

Jisung shrugged.

“Whenever I go to find him, it’s always Woojin getting the door, and he keeps telling me he’s sleeping, or in the shower, or not there… But I never find him anywhere, either. It’s starting to sound like excuses by now. But if he doesn’t want to see me… I suppose he has his reasons, and I don’t want to pressure him.”

Changbin stared at Jisung for a long moment, and then suddenly, he got up and stalked off the bridge.

“W-what…?” Jisung stammered, looking at Chan helplessly, but Chan didn’t have an answer for him, either. Moments later, the sound of distant shouting echoed faintly up to the bridge, but while both Chan and Jisung looked worriedly in the direction of the door, they didn’t get up to investigate. Whatever had to be said, had to be said eventually. That didn’t mean that they didn’t worry, but when Changbin came back a while later, looking much calmer than before, they let it go.

Jisung didn’t stay up on the bridge with them much longer, going down to pack the last of his belongings from the ship as they were scheduled to approach Burgau soon. He hadn’t taken anything the last time he’d left, but this time, he wanted his things with him; in a way, that made his imminent departure feel much more real, more definitive, and Chan wasn’t sure how he managed to keep himself together. Maybe it was the fact that his heart had long since broken into so many pieces there was scarcely more than dust left, never mind anything left to break.

He felt numb by the time they approached the planet, and it was Changbin asking for landing permission. They were assigned a drop-off bay to land in, and it was pure force of will that kept Chan upright and walking on his own down to the bay where they waited for Jisung and Minho to join them.

Eventually, they appeared at the top of the stairs, Jisung helping a still weak Minho down. He’d rested a lot and healed accordingly, but still refused to accept any additional help from Chan, so he was still not at the top of his game again.

Chan and Changbin stayed rooted in place as they waited for Jisung and Minho to make their way over, but while Chan’s focus was trained on the approaching pair, Changbin was scrutinizing the area behind them, along with every other bit of the ship he could make out from his position, as if waiting for someone. With every moment he didn’t seem to find what or who he was looking for, his expression darkened. That was, until Jisung let go of Minho to approach Changbin and cupped his face in his hands.

“Hey…” He called gently, and Changbin focused solely on him, his features softening instantly. “Let it go. If they don’t want to see me off, that’s fine. I understand, and I don’t hold it against them; and neither should you.”

Changbin frowned, but Jisung shook his head, giving him a pleading look, and Changbin smoothed out his features again. With a resigned sigh, he stepped forward and pulled Jisung into a tight hug. Chan didn’t try to listen in on what they were whispering to each other, giving them the moment to themselves and approaching Minho instead.

“How are you holding up?” Chan asked him quietly, and Minho gave him a small smile while leaning against a crate for support.

“I’ve had better days, but also worse... Thank you for everything you did for me. And for Jisung.”

Chan frowned for a moment, but decided to just accept Minho’s thanks eventually.

“It is no problem. Jisung is family to us, so there’s little we wouldn’t do for him. And you… You are, too, now that you are with him. No, please…” Chan interrupted Minho when the other started trying to protest. “Don’t say you don’t deserve it again; if Jisung deems you worthy, so do I, and Changbin. Take good care of our Sungie, and we’ll be there for you as much as we are for Jisung.”

Minho looked like he wanted to protest anyway, but before he could, he was interrupted again, by Jisung this time.

“Channie?”

Chan turned to Jisung, seeing him and Changbin look at him expectantly, and Jisung waved him over. Chan didn’t have to be asked twice, and soon he was pulled into the mini group hug with Changbin and Jisung.

“I know this is cheesy, but these last days have put a lot into perspective for me; and most of all, they’ve made me realize just how many things I’ve always wanted to tell you two but never did. And I’ve realized just how soon everything can be over, and that I might never get the chance to tell you if I don’t do it immediately, when I think about it…”

Jisung held Chan and Changbin tighter, their heads lying on either of his shoulders, and Chan was glad neither Jisung not Changbin could see his expression in that moment.

“You know I love you, I’ve told you that before, but I just need to tell you again. Even if I don’t manage to keep in contact, and if we end up not seeing each other for a long time… A really long time… I’ll still love you. You mean so much to me, you are the brother I never had,” He hugged Changbin tighter, “or even like the parent I didn’t get to spend enough time with.” He tightened his hold on Chan. “Every memory I have with and of you two is precious to me in ways I can’t even begin to describe. And in my heart, you will always be right there with me, at all times. Please, try not to miss me too much, ok?”

Chan knew he had lost the battle against the onslaught of tears, but he was sure no one expected him to hold it together now anymore; not at this point.

“I love you too, Sung… You are aggravating sometimes, but it only makes you more loveable. You’ll forever stay with me, even if you are several galaxies away from me.” Changbin at least managed to form coherent sentences. Chan, on the other hand, just kept sobbing into Jisung’s shoulder, his composure gone. Thankfully, neither Changbin nor Jisung made any move to disentangle themselves from the hug and leave Chan standing on his own two feet; at least not yet.

“We’ve landed and docked… We only have a limited landing permission, Sung…” Changbin eventually croaked out, his voice giving up, too, when the little light above the docking bridge flashed green.

Jisung didn’t turn to look at the light, but he squeezed Chan and Changbin tighter before starting to disentangle himself from them. He swallowed thickly, taking a step back while his eyes flitted from Chan to Changbin and back with barely suppressed longing and something akin to grief.

Chan leaned heavily on Changbin once Jisung as support was out of his immediate reach, but he had a feeling Changbin wouldn’t hold up for much longer, either.

Pushing himself off the crate he’d been leaning against, Minho joined Jisung, and with a last smile at Chand and Changbin, they turned towards the docking bridge.

“Wait…!”

All four of them froze as a voice neither of them had heard in four days spoke up behind them.

“Sung… Don’t leave. Please…!”

Seungmin brushed past Chan and Changbin, hugging Jisung tightly from behind.

“Please. You don’t have to go…!”

 


	14. Stay

Jisung couldn’t breathe, but it wasn’t because of the tight hold Seungmin had on him. It had more to do with Seungmin’s presence in general; he’d missed him so much, been so heartbroken over him not wanting to see him, and now here he was, begging him not to leave…

“Please… We haven’t even had a chance to catch up yet…”

Jisung closed his eyes, hands coming up to lie on Seungmin’s arms wrapped around him.

“Minnie…” He managed to choke out, before pushing against Seungmin’s hold to get enough room to turn around and hug him back. He wanted to tell him how much he missed him, how much it hurt to be turned away by him, but the words were stuck in his throat. Instead, he managed to utter others, even though he had no idea where they had come from.

“I’ll call once we get settled, ok?”

Seungmin shook his head, though, holding him tighter.

“Bullshit…! You won’t call, and we both know it… Please, just stay! You don’t have to leave. You can just stay, with us… Please. I’ve missed you so much; we all have! Don’t leave us again…”

Tears pricked at Jisung’s eyes again, his heart even heavier now than it had been when he’d said his farewells to Chan and Changbin.

“I can’t, Min. You know I can’t.”

Seungmin shook his head, though.

“No, I don’t know! Why, Jisung? Why can’t you stay?!”

Jisung took a deep, shuddering breath.

“I love Minho, Seungminie. And I’m not going to leave him.”

“So?” Seungmin’s face was a mix of determination and confusion. “Then don’t. Have him stay here, with you!”

The others hadn’t been speaking while the exchange between Jisung and Seungmin took place, either, but the silence that ensued after Seungmin’s last words was deafening.

“Minnie-…” Jisung swallowed thickly. “Do you know who Minho is?”

Seungmin inhaled slowly, but nodded and turned to look at Minho, who was standing slightly behind Jisung.

“Yes. I do. And... It’s ok. You trust him, and I trust you. And I am sure… I am sure I can learn to trust him, too!”

The tears that had been welling up in Jisung’s eyes spilled silently, and he shook his head as his throat closed up.

“Minnie… You can’t-… It’s not fair on you, I couldn’t just force that on you-…”

Seungmin balled his hands to fists in Jisung’s shirt, using the leverage he gained that way to put some distance between them, so he could give Jisung a heated glare.

“It’s also not fair on me to force me to give up my best friend!”

Jisung visibly flinched but Seungmin didn’t let go of him.

“Sung, _please_. If you want to act in my best interest, don’t leave!”

Jisung closed his eyes, unable to stand seeing the desperately pleading look in Seungmin’s gaze any longer, while hot tears still ran down his cheeks.

“I can’t, Min. I wish I could, but I can’t. If I stay, and Minho stays… Woojin will leave, and so will you.”

Seungmin’s face darkened so much Minho paled behind Jisung, but Jisung didn’t see it and therefore didn’t react or was in any way prepared for what came next.

“Who said that? Who made that stupid ass decision?!”

Jisung’s eyes snapped open, but Seungmin was no longer looking at him, instead glaring at Chan, who took a small stumbling step back.

“It- it wasn’t me, Min.”

Seungmin didn’t really think that in the first place. There was really only one person who would make a decision like that on this ship.

“Woojin!” He called out, his voice filled with anger.

It didn’t really come as a surprise when Woojin stepped out of the shadows near a door to the bay and into view. Seungmin’s glare was piercing, and so, so full of anger, but Woojin looked unaffected as he approached them.

“You… You have no _right_ to decide who gets kicked out in my name!” Seungmin hissed once Woojin was close enough to hear him. “You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t handle, especially if your decisions affect everyone else, as well!”

If Woojin was hurt by Seungmin’s words, he didn’t show it.

“I did what I had to, to protect you. You were so out of it, you needed me to take care of you!”

Seungmin huffed, letting go of Jisung to take a threatening step towards Woojin.

“I was shocked, yes! It’s not every day you see the person you’ve been having nightmares about for _months_ and reminded yourself is dead over and over again to get over it, suddenly alive and really close to your best friend! That takes a hot minute to get over! But I _am_ over it, now, and I’m doing fine, and I do not appreciate these kinds of decisions being made _because_ of me, but without consulting me in the slightest! You think you know what’s best for me and what you need to do to protect me, but you don’t even give me a chance to think about it and figure out a way I would be able to deal with it myself. I’m not a baby anymore, I need to learn to _live_ , and to deal with and get over what is bothering me!”

Woojin’s eyes narrowed and his expression hardened as Seungmin talked, and as soon as he stopped long enough to breathe, he cut in.

“You can hardly say this was merely a small bother to you!”

“I’m not saying that! I’m telling you to let me make the decisions that affect me myself!”

Woojin huffed.

“Right; and what about the decisions I make for _myself_?! What if I made this decision for myself as much as you? Because I don’t want to stay on the same ship as the person who traumatized the one person I care most about in the whole universe, and made me go through hell as well! Do I not get a say in that regard, either?”

“Of course, you do; if you aren’t happy where you are, just leave!” Seungmin spat venomously, and it wasn’t just Woojin who gaped at him in disbelief and shock.

“You… You can’t make me leave…!” Woojin sounded breathless, but Seungmin was only just starting.

“Right; because this ship is yours and therefore you can blackmail everyone into doing exactly what you want, or scram! You know what, maybe I should go to Father and tell him I am ready for my own ship; he’s wanted me to take that step for a while. And then we’ll all be free to go wherever we want to, and you will no longer have to tolerate anyone who doesn’t jump at your command!”

While the two brothers tried to glare and shout each other down, Chan observed helplessly as the situation escalated, unsure if he should intervene, and how. Across from him, at this point, Jisung had long given up trying to follow the shouting match in favour of fretting over Minho, who looked very distraught from where Chan stood, flinching and sinking further into himself with every other shouted word.

At the same time, Changbin was taking a hail from the ground-crew, asking if everything was alright or if they required assistance, and informing them that the time they had for this landing spot was running out. Changbin exchanged a quick glance with Chan, and Chan finally decided to intervene.

“Silence, everyone!” His voice rose above all others, and for a moment, they heeded his plea. Before anyone could speak up again, though, he shook his head, continuing himself. “Please. We’re getting nowhere like this. Let’s… let’s talk this out calmly, shall we? Changbin, please, inform the bay-personnel we are fine and just need a moment. And then, everyone, please, let’s move up into the conference room.”

No-one moved, except Changbin, who relayed the captain’s message to the official at the other end of the line, until Woojin bristled.

“There is nothing to talk about…”

Chan shook his head firmly.

“There is. And we are going to.”

“There is not. This is _my_ ship…!” Woojin countered, not backing down an inch, until Chan snapped around and narrowed his eyes at him, squaring up. Even though he was shorter than Woojin, he did manage to look quite intimidating when he tried.

“I am going to pretend you did not just pull that card; for the sake of our friendship, and the physical constitution of your face; because, by Belize, Woojin, I have never wanted to punch you this hard…! Now get moving, everyone. Changbin, change of plans: inform them we are taking off, and then bring us into orbit for the time being.”

Changbin was the first to move, but Seungmin was the first one out of the bay, making his way to the conference room. Chan almost didn’t expect everyone to gather there, but to his surprise, they did; some more willingly than others.

“First things first, before we continue this debate: who is in favour or indifferent of Minho staying with us? Minho and Jisung are exempt from voting.” He asked, as soon as the door closed behind him.

In response to his question, Seungmin’s hand shot up immediately, while Changbin’s followed soon after at a more moderate pace, but still determined. Chan raised his hand as well, gaze fixed on Woojin. Unsurprisingly, Woojin’s hand stayed down, and once Chan accepted the vote, nodding at everyone to follow his lead and lower their hands, Woojin shoved his chair back. Without another word, he got up and rushed out of the room, almost shoving Chan out of the way in the process.

As soon as the door closed again, a small whimper came from Minho, and he leaned heavier against Jisung’s side.

“Please… I don’t want to be the reason for fights between you all. I’ll just leave, and be done with it…”

Chan sighed deeply, moving to sit beside Minho, with his full attention focused on the other.

“Don’t worry about us fighting, Minho… It’s bound to happen, we can’t always agree with each other. We will make up again. But, is this really what you want? To leave and build a life on this planet?”

Minho met Chan’s gaze head-on, and for a moment Chan was sure he was going to answer him that yes, that was what he wanted, but then time stretched, and Minho didn’t back down. The turmoil behind his gaze shone through more and more clearly, until eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he averted his eyes just slightly and shook his head.

“No. If I had a choice, I would never live on a planet, ever again. I barely survived the destruction of my home planet when I was little; I almost died on the other planet I tried to build a life on; and that isn’t even considering all the other planets I witnessed being destroyed while captive. The thought alone to live on a planet again makes me sick… It’s like being held down while they prepare your execution; only worse, because there is so much room to run to, but nowhere safe. At least on a ship, there is a chance to escape, and if that doesn’t work, it’s over quickly…”

Silence followed Minho’s words, but everyone’s attention was focused on Chan, fear and apprehension to some extent present in everyone’s gazes. Chan himself didn’t notice any of that, too caught up in his own head, but he shook himself out of it after a short while, swallowing thickly before speaking.

“I am sorry you had to go through that… time and time again. Which was your planet?”

Minho released a shaky breath before answering, his hand seeking Jisung’s under the table for comfort.

“Ega.”

Before, it had been quiet in the conference room, but now, the silence was deafening. Minho winced, shrinking in on himself as if he was trying to melt into his seat.

“Holy… shit…!” Chan breathed after a moment. “How… You must have been so young… How old were you?”

“Two and a half years… Universal.”

“And you were picked up by the Alliance back then already?”

Minho nodded.

“My parents tried to get me out in a tiny escape pod, but it was intercepted. I don’t know how I didn’t die when the pod blew apart… All I remember is waking up in a sort of containment cell. And since then, well… There isn’t much of _me_ I remember, or that is worth remembering, up until Jisung… saved me.”

“How do you even remember that when you were only two and a half when all that happened?” Changbin wondered, quietly, but he was still heard.

“When you are imprisoned in your own mind most of the time, with nothing but very few memories of yourself and no way to make new ones, you don’t forget the few you have. You make sure you don’t.”

“So, you… You really had no control at all over your body and mind, this whole time?”

It was Seungmin who asked, tentatively, and while it was a rather invasive question, if anyone had a right to ask it, it was Seungmin. Minho seemed to think so, too.

“No. I was nothing but a passenger in my own body for the most part. Often, when they took over, my whole being was scarcely more than an afterthought in the back of my mind. Most often, it wasn’t even my own choice not to see and hear and know what my body was being forced to do, since they managed to repress me so far into the back of my own mind. That’s why I didn’t recognize Jisung at first when he reacted to me in the street, and I still barely have any recollection of my encounter with you during that raid.”

Seungmin shuddered at the description of how Minho had been controlled, seeking support by holding Changbin’s hand, who sat next to him, before he spoke.

“That is… that is exactly how I felt, too… Back then. As if I was being shoved into a corner, while someone else thought with my brain, walked with my body… I was screaming and shouting and fighting, but my body… it didn’t react, at all.”

Minho winced, looking away in shame.

“I’m so sorry…” He looked like he wanted to say more, but Seungmin interrupted him.

“No, don’t be. It wasn’t you. If you were as much a captive in your own mind as I was, then there was truly nothing you could do. And I can’t hold a grudge against you. If anything… I should be grateful that you built a personality that is so different from what the Alliance tried to make you into, despite the young age at which you fell into their hands, and how long you were with them. I… I admire you for that.”

Minho was still not able to meet anyone’s gaze again, much less Seungmin’s, but he relaxed a little.

“Thank you, but I can’t really take credit for that… My parents, like all Egai parents used to, made sure to instill in me the knowledge that with great power comes great responsibility. Before I could even walk or talk, I already knew what was right and wrong as far as my powers went… Egai powers were never meant to harm anyone. They were meant to strengthen, support, heal and protect. Never to hurt someone. Never to control anyone…”

“The Alliance doesn’t really care about that, though, do they… They see enemies everywhere, and wipe out whoever they please. And now, they even do that with planets whose inhabitants don’t even have any powers… What could Queirigia have possibly done to warrant being wiped out? It was a mining colony!” Chan interjected, and for the first time since they had come up into the conference room, Jisung spoke up, too, to answer him.

“We were running out of ore… The amount of ore accessible from the surface was running low and requiring more and more complex and expensive ways to extract it. By turning Queirigia inside out, they probably hope to bring the deeper ore depots closer to the surface to mine them later. And if a few million miners die in the process… who cares? They won’t be able to work in the mines again anyway by the time the planet cools off enough to colonize it again. Not even their children will. Better to kill them all than go through the hassle to find all of them new planets to live and work on.”

Chan had half a mind to chastise Jisung for talking like that, but he knew all too well that that was most likely the actual thought process of the Alliance when it came to Queirigia, and he refrained.

“As long as they can continue to operate unchecked, truly no-one, nowhere, is safe from the Alliance anymore…” Seungmin sighed quietly, mostly to himself, but everyone could hear him.

“If you were to stay with us…” Chan started, looking directly at Minho, who jumped in his seat once he realized he was being addressed, everyone’s attention suddenly back on him. “If you stayed… You do know what we do though, right? That we are essentially pirates, and our only target is the Alliance?”

Minho nodded slowly from where he’d sunken down into his seat.

“I do… You are quite notorious with them, which was why they tried to use me to stop you.”

Chan nodded, not unsatisfied with that confirmation even if it wasn’t news to him. They noticed him and were after him; good! It meant he was being at least a thorn in their side.

“I figured as much… But, would you be ok here, with that being our occupation? If you stay you’d have to confront Alliance forces all the time. Even if you stay back on the ship and didn’t actively participate in the raids, there’s no way you wouldn’t become aware of the confrontations going on.”

At that, Minho sat up straighter in his seat again; at least somewhat, and enough to highlight the determination in his next statement.

“I have no loyalty to the Alliance, none whatsoever. I wouldn’t be conflicted at all when confronting them. My loyalty lies with Jisung, and whoever holds his loyalty.”

At that, Chan had to chuckle slightly, a fond smile playing on his lips as happiness for the couple and warmth spread inside him.

“I don’t doubt that, Minho. I am asking because I would hate to ignorantly expose you to situations that might hurt you in any way. I’m more worried about whether you will be ok if you have to face the people who’ve held you captive for so long; potentially even some that might have hurt you directly.”

Minho’s lips formed a silent ‘oh’, his cheeks coloring slightly in embarrassment.

“Y-yes. I… I’m not going to pretend it might not catch me off guard at any point, but… I’ll be ok, with that. I… For all they did to me, all my life… I am most definitely ready to pay them back!” His voice was full of conviction, his back straightening fully once the bout of embarrassment faded away again, but then he moved wrong and winced visibly, deflating back into his seat with Jisung immediately ready to start fussing over him.

Chan observed the scene pensively, but then nodded slowly to himself.

“I’m going to leave the final decision about this situation for another day. For now, you’ll stay; both of you. And I suggest you go back down to the cabins and rest. Changbinnie, go and pull us out of orbit, please, we’re taking up space we don’t need. For now, let’s go back to the route we were on before Jisung called. We still have a delivery to make.”

Changbin got up, leaving the conference room immediately to follow Chan’s order, shortly after followed by Jisung and Minho, the former helping the latter, leaving only Chan and Seungmin in the room. Their gazes found each other in a quiet exchange that didn’t stay quiet for long.

“Are you ok, Minnie? With all… this? You were gone for days…” Chan asked, no small amount of worry in his voice.

Seungmin nodded earnestly, though.

“I am. I had a lot of time to think, and… and think I did. I am tired of hiding behind Woojin. I’m tired of Woojin trying to protect me from everything all the time. And I’m tired of being afraid of myself, most of all. I need to step up to my fears if I want to overcome them. I don’t want to be useless anymore.”

Chan frowned at that, switching seats to the one right next to Seungmin to catch the younger’s hands between his own and fix Seungmin with a determined stare the other couldn’t avoid.

“Kim Seungmin, you were never useless! You were hurt, and you are still healing. And despite all that, you have always been incredibly brave, and I am nothing but proud of you. For your decisions today, too; you might just have saved Jisung and Minho for us, even if those two probably don’t know it themselves yet.”

A small smile played on Seungmin’s lips for a moment, but it vanished again quickly, replaced by a pensive frown.

“What about Woojin, though…? I’m mad at him, yes, but…”

Chan squeezed Seungmin’s hands in his own, giving him a reassuring smile.

“I’ll talk to him.”

Seungmin’s frown lightened, and he gave Chan a thankful look.

“He’s in his cabin… But he’s really upset right now.”

“I figured… Can you do me a favour, though?”

“Of course!” Seungmin nodded eagerly.

“Please don’t eavesdrop on us while I go talk to him. That includes gauging our emotions; _especially_ gauging our emotions!”

Seungmin nodded without hesitation.

“Of course! I- I’ll just go and keep Changbin company. Don’t worry about me!”

For some reason, Seungmin’s answer came too quick for Chan, and his skepticism must have shown on his face, for Seungmin felt the need to reassure Chan.

“I promise, I won’t pry, Chan. I’ve always used my powers responsibly; and I don’t like it when people eavesdrop on me, either. I won’t do the same to others, especially when they ask me not to!”

Chan accepted that reassurance, reaching up to ruffle Seungmin’s hair lightly.

“Thanks, Min.”

*#*#*#*

“Woojin?” Chan knocked on Woojin’s door, waiting for an answer. He half didn’t expect one, so he was mildly surprised when he did get one, though not at all at the anger packed into the one-word response.

“What?”

“Can I come in?”

It took a moment for Woojin to answer again.

“What for?”

Chan sighed, wanting to roll his eyes.

“I’d rather not shout that through the door, that’s why I’m asking to come in.”

When no answer came for a while, Chan expected to be denied entrance, but then the lock clicked. Chan took that as invitation enough.

The first thing he noticed when he saw Woojin was the one thing the other was clearly trying to hide from him: Woojin had been crying.

Chan felt a sharp pang in his heart when he noticed the remnants of tear streaks Woojin had failed to catch while wiping at his face, the damp stains on his sleeves with which he had wiped some tears away, and the red-rimmed, slightly swollen eyes.

Despite having come with the intention to talk to Woojin, Chan didn’t say anything while closing the door again behind him and finding a seat for himself, nor for a long while after he’d found that seat.

Woojin didn’t call him out on it. He sat stoically on his bed, staring at his knees unseeingly while Chan observed him from his seat by the desk. Eventually, though, Woojin broke the silence, his voice bitter with resentment, but also full of unveiled hurt.

“So, you’re really choosing a stranger who’s hurt all of us before over the crew that’s been loyal at your side for so long now, huh…?”

Chan sighed wearily, his stance deflating.

“I’m not choosing anyone over anyone else, Woojin…”

“Of course, you are, Chan.” Woojin scoffed. “You know I’m not staying if that guy does.”

“I do know that. You’ve stated that clearly before.”

“So, you are making that choice, if he’s really staying…” Woojin stated accusingly, but after a moment, he still felt the need to ask, just to make sure: “Is he?”

Chan nodded slowly.

“For now, yes.”

The look of betrayal on Woojin’s face was there and gone in an instant, but it seared itself painfully into Chan’s heart nonetheless.

“Ok… Wow.” Woojin shook his head in disbelief, but straightened himself out immediately after, sitting up with a determined expression. “I guess that means I am really leaving.”

If that was what Woojin wanted, there was no way for Chan to stop him; even if he didn’t want to accept it. He didn’t want to lose Woojin any more than he wanted to lose anyone else of his crew. Chan nodded slowly, feeling defeated to some degree facing Woojin’s stubbornness.

His nod was like a blow to Woojin, though, and it bordered a miracle that he managed to hold the tears at bay for so long, keeping them from spilling again, and this time in front of Chan. He didn’t want the Beiran to know the effect he had on him, not if he really cared so little.

“Seungmin is coming with me, too; you should know that.”

Chan sighed deeply, shaking his head. There it was, again, that stubborn trait in Woojin that the other seemed to not be able to let go of; seemed to not even realize he had and the effect it had.

“Does Seungmin know about that yet?” Chan asked, knowing the answer already. And really, Woojin shook his head no.

“No. But I’m not letting my baby brother stay somewhere where he is forced to face the source of his nightmares day in and day out.”

Chan fixed Woojin with a chastising look that made the other shift uncomfortably where he sat, but also bristle.

“You do know that is not going to work, do you...”

Woojin didn’t answer for a beat too long, and Chan continued.

“Woojin… Seungmin may be your baby brother, but… He is already an adult, too, and he can make his own decisions; and he will, whether you like it or not. You have to accept that. You can’t always protect and shelter him. You need to let him walk his own path in life, even if that means he is going to fall and get hurt along the way. Your job has to be to pick him up when he falls, not lock him away and keep him from walking in the first place to prevent him from falling.”

Woojin looked up with anger sparking in his gaze.

“That may apply to small children when they start to walk, but not to young adults who risk getting emotionally scarred for life…!”

Chan shook his head, not yet run out of patience.

“Woojin, think about what you are doing to him if you just force him to come with you against his will. Imagine how you would feel in his place. Imagine you found somewhere where you’re really happy, where you have people you love and who love you back unconditionally, and have your back no matter what happens, even -no, especially- when times are tough. And then someone tells you to leave that behind for an uncertain future, time and place, because they think it would be better for you, without asking you or taking your opinion into consideration. How would you feel in that situation?”

Woojin didn’t answer, didn’t look at Chan, didn’t move at all.

“Seungmin is mad at you right now because he blames you for trying to send Jisung away again, Woojin, but it’s nothing a little time won’t solve. If you take him away from here now, though, he will resent you possibly forever. He’d be twice as miserable, too, because he’d lose not just the place and people around him that he cherishes, but also the brother he loves more than anything else in the whole universe for betraying him when he trusted him to do what’s really in his best interest; because making decisions for Seungmin without him, especially the decision to take him away from where and with whom he loves to be, is not in his best interest, and he knows that, too.”

The silence that hung between them was beyond uncomfortable, but Chan would take it any day over the sound that eventually broke it. The sound of a choked sob from Woojin was the last thing Chan wanted to hear, and instinctively, he got up and crossed the small room to sit on the bed next to him, pulling him into a gentle embrace.

Woojin was mad at him, yes, most likely, but he only resisted for a split second before leaning into Chan’s hold and letting go. Chan simply held him through it while he cried silently, his heart breaking for the other, but maybe, just maybe, it was necessary.

Eventually, Woojin held on to Chan, too, and shortly after, his sobs quietened down.

“Chan… I-… I don’t know what to do…” He admitted quietly, still leaning against the Beiran limply.

Chan lifted a hand to card it soothingly through Woojin’s hair, hoping to calm and reassure him that way.

“I just… I just want Seungmin to be happy. I want him to be free, to be able to do what he wants… I want to give him everything I know our father won’t without expecting the impossible back. I want him to live his best life, but… I keep failing him. Whatever I do, I keep failing him, and I don’t know what I should do anymore… It hurts so much to see him hurting, and it hurts even worse to not be able to help him, to not know what the right thing to do is, and to then do the wrong thing and hurt him even more…”

Woojin’s cries got harder again, and Chan tightened his hold, really pulling Woojin in now until he was fully wrapped in his arms.

“Oh, Woojin… Hey, it’s ok… Shh… You’re not failing him, Woojin. You’re not. You are a great brother, and you’ve done so much for Seungmin. And he knows it, and I know he is grateful for it. He might be mad at you right now, but not enough to not love you just as much as he always has. You… you both need to learn to deal with and rely on each other in different ways than what you were used to until now, but you’ll get there. You’ll learn to just be there for each other, to lend a shoulder to cry on, to back each other up in fights, to support and give advice, but not restrict each other. You’ll get there.”

Woojin didn’t answer, not verbally, but Chan could tell his words had some effect on him, for Woojin relaxed gradually, his tears drying even as he didn’t answer, until they were just sitting there, holding on to each other in silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence anymore, but eventually Chan broke it again.

“Woojin…?”

“Hm..?” Woojin answered, for the first time in a while, even though it wasn’t really a word.

“What is it that you want for yourself? Without thinking about Seungmin and what would be best for him or what he wants. Just you, for yourself, what do you want to do? Do you really want to leave us?”

Woojin stayed silent for so long, Chan didn’t expect an answer anymore, but then he spoke up.

“I don’t want to leave…” He near whispered. “Here… With you… For the first time, it feels like it’s not just me against the universe… not just me alone between the whole universe and my brother. With you, I… I feel like there is someone -even more than just one someone- who cares about me and Min. Like there are others I can rely on, who share some of the burden that I feel like I’ve been carrying alone most of my life; others, in front of whom I don’t need to always look like I know the answer to everything and as if I am indestructible. I… I don’t want to lose that… But… How can I stay?”

It took a while until Chan managed to let all that sink in, conflicting emotions of warmth and pain making themselves at home in his heart.

“Do you… Do you really think you can’t give Minho a chance? Even though even Seungmin can? I’m not asking you to become friends or even get along, but… can’t you try to at least tolerate him?”

There was a desperate edge to Chan’s pleas, but he couldn’t care less. Woojin deserved to know how desperately he wanted him to stay.

Woojin didn’t answer, though; he didn’t move away, but he was unable to give Chan an answer to his questions.

“You know… I am wary of Minho, too…” Chan admitted after a while, and that got Woojin to shift so he could look at Chan while he spoke. “I barely met him, after all; I don’t know him at all. But… I trust Jisung. Unconditionally. And since Jisung trusts Minho… Not just that, but loves him enough that he would die for him… How can I not give him a chance? After all, this whole crew only exists because we gave each other chances… Starting with Changbin and Jisung giving me a chance, right after they witnessed me violently murdering most of a crew before getting them out… And the three of us giving you and Seungmin a chance when we first met on that mothership, as well as you and Min giving us that chance… In the end, we’re all just people who’ve done things we aren’t proud of because of one enemy we have in common; shouldn’t we try to work out our differences and band together instead?”

Woojin exhaled long and shakily, shaking his head slowly.

“I don’t know, Chan… I seriously don’t. I… I’m not even sure-… Well. The most I can do is try. I can try to ignore him and tolerate him by pretending he doesn’t exist. But that is all. I really can’t promise you more than that at this point…”

Tightening his hold, Chan hugged Woojin to him once again, letting his forehead rest against the top of Woojin’s head.

“That’s good enough for me, for now… As long as I don’t have to lose you, I can live with that.”

*#*#*#*

It wasn’t that the atmosphere on the Esmerilhao was tense over the following days as they set course to deliver the cargo in their bay, not really. That would require interactions of some kind between those who weren’t on the best of terms, but that just didn’t happen.

Minho spent most of the time in the cabin Jisung shared with him now, since he was still recovering, thus avoiding run-ins with Woojin or Seungmin. Seungmin himself spent quite a fair amount of time with Jisung, while the latter reacquainted himself with the nooks and crannies of the Esmerilhao, and fixed the small damages their mad dash at too many times the speed of light to get to Queirigia had left on the ship.

Woojin and Chan went back to spending a fair amount of their time together, going over information on the Alliance that had piled up without anyone analyzing it over the past months of brooding. They were often accompanied by Changbin, when the latter wasn’t off somewhere with Seungmin and Jisung and left the bridge to the two oldest of the crew.

In a way, it was almost comfortable on the Esmerilhao, more so than it had been for ages, despite all the constellations of crew members that weren’t on talking terms with each other.

Still, it wasn’t ideal, and it got to some of them more than others. One of the ones it got to the most was Seungmin, but it still came as somewhat of a surprise to Chan when the young Taviran came to him with his worries.

It was early evening, and for once, Chan was back in his cabin to sleep at a reasonable time; all thanks to a team effort of Changbin and Woojin, who decided he still slept nowhere near enough, especially since he hadn’t even managed to allow himself a good night’s rest all this time since they had left Queirigia.

Truthfully, it felt weird to Chan to be in bed this early, even if his body welcomed the respite. When the knock on his door came, though, he was almost glad for the distraction, since he really didn’t know what to do with himself while sleep wouldn’t be coming to him all too soon no matter how tired he was.

“Minnie?” His surprise was audible in his voice, and Seungmin shifted a little awkwardly on his feet.

“H-hey. I, uhm… I was wondering if I could talk to you?”

Chan nodded hastily, stepping out of the way to let Seungmin in. Contrary to Woojin’s cabin, Chan’s didn’t have a desk and corresponding chair, so the only place for Seungmin to sit was with Chan on his bed.

“What is it that is bothering you?” Chan prompted gently once Seungmin had sat down next to him, biting his lip anxiously.

“I… I don’t even really know? There’s so much, I guess, and… I would usually vent about it to Woojin, but I don’t _want_ to go to him right now, not with how patronizing he’s been and when one of the main things I need to vent about is him…”

Chan hummed understandingly.

“You’re still mad at him…”

“Yes!” Seungmin confirmed, his voice breaking on the word with how fiercely he proclaimed it, but then his shoulders dropped, and he sighed wearily. “I am mad at him. He’s… he needs to realize I’m not a baby anymore and he can’t just make all kinds of decisions for me, without asking me. I really don’t want to leave you, or any of the others; he can’t do that to me!”

Chan nodded slowly.

“You’re right. You know, that was one of the things we talked about the other day, when I went to find him, after our… conference, sort of.”

“Oh? You did?”

“We did. And that was exactly what I tried to make him understand. I think it worked, too, actually. I really don’t think he is going to try to make you leave us anymore.”

Seungmin stared at Chan as if he’d just declared the Alliance was a mere local games club that met on Sunday afternoons in empty lots to play with marbles.

“I-… Wow. Just… What did you say to him?”

Chan shook his head slowly.

“I’m not going to repeat all of that to you. We talked a lot, and I’m quite sure I managed to get through to him. After all, we are on the way to an outpost to deliver our cargo, not… I don’t know, in the process of splitting up and going different ways.”

Seungmin had to concede that point, nodding slowly. The frown didn’t disappear from his face, though.

“Do you… Do you think he is going to stay with us?”

“Who, Woojin?”

“Yes? I’m… He made it a point to say he would leave if Minho stayed, and Minho is still here…”

“Well. So is Woojin…”

Seungmin sighed again, his frown intensifying.

“Yeah, but… Chan, I may be mad at him right now and not talking to him, but I’m really scared he’s going to leave. Not just because the ship is his and he could take it with him, but… I don’t want him to leave. He’s still… I mean, he and I…” He broke off, shaking his head dejectedly, and Chan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder that prompted Seungmin to lean against Chan, letting him hug him.

“He’s still your brother, and you still love him even when he goes on your nerves.” Chan supplied, and Seungmin snorted, but then admitted how right Chan was with a small, quiet “Yeah…”.

“You know, Woojin is really trying to tolerate Minho right now. It has been helping that Minho has barely come out of his cabin, true, but your brother is still very aware of his presence on the ship at all times. And he’s doing his best to get used to that idea. He doesn’t want to leave, either; he likes it here, with us. It’s just… not easy for him. But he is trying; for you.”

Seungmin fixed his stare on the floor of the cabin, shame clouding his heart and coloring the tips of his ears.

“I need to give him more credit, don’t I?” He whispered, and Chan pulled him closer into his hug.

“You should both learn to communicate better with each other. It’s normal to make mistakes, though, and to disagree and fight. As long as you end up making up again.”

Seungmin let that sink in in silence, agreeing with Chan quietly.

“He isn’t even completely wrong, you know…” Seungmin admitted eventually, after the silence had stretched on for several minutes. “I really am scared of Minho, still. For all my bravado the other day… The thought alone of what Minho is technically capable of, even with him guaranteeing that he won’t use his powers like that and especially not on us… It scares the living daylights out of me. I can’t even recall what a full night’s sleep without nightmares is like at this point… And it makes me feel awful! Not the nightmares -well, those, too, actually- but… I want to believe Minho and give him a chance. The way Jisung talks about him, he might as well have created all the stars in the universe, and here I am, secretly almost shitting myself every time I remember he is on the ship…”

“Hmm…” Chan hummed, pensively. “Well. I suppose that is understandable, though. But… you haven’t really talked to Minho, either, since that day we left Burgau, have you?”

Seungmin shook his head no.

“Then maybe… I feel like you should. You won’t ever get over your fear of what _could_ be, until you know it _won’t_ be. And the only way for you to be able to learn to trust Minho is by getting to know him better. He could probably help you learn how to deal with your nightmares, too, since apparently, his are quite similar to yours. Actually… You would probably do each other a world of good if you started talking and getting along with each other. It helped Jisung, too, after all… Ok, now, don’t go assuming I want you to fall as deeply in love with Minho as Sung did! But you could still help each other work through some shit…”

Seungmin snorted softly at Chan’s implying, shoving at the Beiran’s chest in exasperation, but he still gave it a thought. There could be some truth to Chan’s words… Jisung had really gotten much better once he’d been given the chance to deal with his trauma… And he was so glad he did! Even if he was at least a little, tiny bit jealous, too…

“Sungie… I’m really glad he’s back…” Seungmin eventually mumbled, voicing his thoughts. Chan hummed in agreement, and Seungmin continued. “I missed him so much. But… Sometimes, it feels as if he isn’t _really_ back, you know? He’s so… distant, now. And of course, he’s almost always with Minho, and I _get_ _it_ , but…” He sighed, deeply, and Chan hummed his understanding again.

“I know what you mean. We need to cut him some slack, though. They have built a sort of codependency that is working for them for now, and which they rely on. They’ve only had each other for months now, and Jisung needs to relearn that he _can_ rely on us, too, while Minho is not used to the idea of being able to rely on anyone… Save Jisung as of right now. Sungie will come back to us, though; I am sure of it. At the very latest when Minho starts to be comfortable around us, too, and he stops having the feeling that he has to choose sides, so to speak.”

“You make it sound so easy…”

Chan chuckled softly, running a hand through Seungmin’s hair before tightening his hug shortly.

“It can be, Min. We just have to all do our part, be patient and understanding and talk to each other.”

 “’Just’. You’re funny…” Seungmin sighed, leaning his head against Chan’s shoulder. “I’ll try, though. I promise. I don’t want to lose Jisung again.”

Chan hummed, taking up playing with Seungmin’s hair again.

“Me neither… I… I don’t think I could stand losing anyone, ever again, really… You’re all way too important to me. You’re like… like family to me. Really close family.”

Seungmin looped his arms around Chan’s waist and hugged him, too. Then, he turned to look up at Chan with an unreadable expression that spoke faintly of mischief, worrying Chan slightly.

“What about Woojin, though?”

Chan frowned, blinking confused.

“What about him?”

“Is he like family to you, too? Not… something else?”

A smirk broke out of Seungmin while he asked his question, and there was no mistaking what he was implying; Chan certainly didn’t miss it, and he saw no reason to pretend he did. Not that he could, anyway, with how his ears and cheeks were heating up.

“I heard you and Changbin fight, the other day. And… while I know most of his accusations are false, because I know you won’t chose any one of us over another, I feel like there was some truth to them anyway. At least the part where he said, and I quote: ‘You have the hots for Woojin’…”

At that, Chan spluttered, shoving at Seungmin to get him off of him. The Taviran let him, falling back on the bed rolling with laughter at Chan’s expression. Chan tried to glare at him, but there was more heat in his face than in his glare.

“What the- can you _not_ say it like that?! I don’t have the _hots_ , you-…!!” He shook his head vehemently, covering his cheeks with his hands and averting his gaze.

Seungmin reared in his laughter and sat up again, placing an arm around Chan’s shoulders and leaning in again.

“But you like him?”

Chan huffed quietly, but he didn’t deny it. Seungmin wasn’t expecting an answer anymore when he stayed quiet for quite a while, but Chan did speak up eventually.

“Of course, I like him… I… I won’t give him preferential treatment as far as anything regarding the crew and our raids go, or make decisions based solely on what makes him happy, though… I care about the rest of you and your opinions just as much. But… Yes, I care differently about Woojin.”

Seungmin’s expression changed from teasing to fond, and there was a new kind of warmth in his embrace as he hugged Chan tighter to his side.

“There’s… Woojin and I are very different in many aspects, but also… We also have a lot in common. I… I know I can rely on him, in different ways than I know I can rely on the rest of you. And I think he is starting to learn that he can rely on me in the same way. And even though we fight and disagree, and sometimes feel like punching each other right in the face, I think we’ll always be able to find a way around it, because… I care about him a lot, and I think… or, I like to think, that he cares about me, in a similar way, too.”

Seungmin hadn’t expected that kind of confession, but he couldn’t say he was upset about it. On the contrary!

“Well, I… I know for a fact that Woojin cares a lot about you, too, Chan. At least, he really values your opinion, and he’s always thinking: oh, what would Chan think about this, what would Chan do, how would he react to this… And not just about the ship and crew and raids and strategies, but… on much more personal levels.”

Finally, Chan turned back around to look at Seungmin, giving him a questioning gaze, and Seungmin answered it with a warm but serious look of his own.

“Chan, I…” Seungmin sighed softly, stalling a moment to collect his thoughts. “If you like him like you say you do, please take care of him, ok? Woojin really needs someone to lean on, for once, too. And I… I’m just the little brother; he won’t come to me, and he won’t really accept my help if I offered it. But he will accept yours. And you… You could really use someone to lean on, too, and I know you won’t come to Changbin or Jisung or me for that. But Woojin won’t mind to be there for you; he’d be really happy if you came to him, even. Especially now that I’m distancing myself from him.”

Chan hummed softly in understanding, but a small frown marred his expression as he fixed Seungmin.

“I’ll keep that in mind. But… You don’t be too hard on him, please. He’s already really upset about you being mad at him and not talking to him…”

Seungmin sighed, leaning his head against Chan’s shoulders again, his voice sad when he spoke.

“I have to do this, though. It’s not easy on me, either, but he needs to learn to let go. If I just give in so soon again, he’ll just… It won’t do. I need to do this, for the both of us…” He trailed off, then scoffed quietly, continuing more to himself than for Chan to hear. “What am I even doing, working to get both of the overprotective mother-hens to join forces… I must finally be out of my mind…! It’s like I’m asking for my ass to get grounded for life!”

At that, Chan shoved Seungmin off his shoulder, poking his side where he was the most ticklish.

“Hey, now! We’re not _that_ bad, you brat!”

Seungmin’s laughter filled the cabin, and echoed down the hallways outside, too.

 


	15. A Member Of My Crew

It was after delivering the cargo in their bay to the planet it was meant for that Jisung confronted Chan and Changbin on the bridge with a serious expression that worried both of them.

“Guys, we need to have a talk…”

Chan felt his heart plummet through his chest and body and drop out somewhere near his feet. Changbin didn’t look much better.

“I don’t know what went on while I wasn’t here, but _seriously_ , have you been paying any attention to our stocks at all in my absence?!”

Confusion over what the hell Jisung was talking about spread on both of their faces, the topic Jisung had chosen clearly not anywhere close to what they had expected after his introduction. Jisung didn’t have much patience for them in that moment, though, and so he kept rambling on.

“Do you have any idea how much fuel we still have? One tank, is all that is left! Three quarters of the ammunition hold is empty, and what we have left is the mediocre kind at best. The batteries for the force fields for our shields haven’t been properly charged in who knows how long, and did you even know the veiling panels on the left rear steering wing were offline this whole time? That’s not to mention that we barely have any food in the pantry, there isn’t any washing detergent anywhere, neither for clothes nor dishes nor bodies -except a rest of hand-soap in the infirmary- and the oldest dirty suits that are piling up in the laundry have been there since before I left! What have you been _doing_?!”

Chan and Changbin stared at Jisung with completely perplex expressions, withering away under his glare. Once they looked demure enough, he leaned back, sighing deeply, before declaring:

“Two things: First of all, we need to raid and restock ourselves, and then… we need a quartermaster. Urgently!”

There was no way for Chan to deny either claim, and so he just nodded in agreement. He had no choice but to believe Jisung, really, because he really had had no idea that their stocks were that badly kept. He couldn’t even blame anyone for it, since none of them were assigned as quartermaster, and they all had been busy with other things over the past months.

With the first thing on Jisung’s list being a raid, though, the question of who would become their quartermaster was postponed for now. For the first time since leaving Burgau, all six of them gathered in the conference room again to plan a raid, some more reluctantly than others, but no one daring to complain; for now. And Chan hoped it stayed that way.

“I’d suggest a military ship, one of the bigger ones. We’ll have to be smart about it with what little we have at our disposal right now, but we really need to restock on fuel and ammunition before anything else. And a bigger military ship will at least have some forms of food and some essentials, even if not the good ones. We can always go after other ships later, ones with better stuff, when we are back on track with fuel and ammo ourselves.” Jisung suggested, and found agreement among the others.

“How will we go about the raid itself, though? What kind of strategy shall we use?” It was Changbin who asked that one most important question that no one wanted to touch; not really. Consequently, silence answered him at first.

“Well…” Seungmin eventually interrupted that silence. “How about we use our old strategy? Like we used to, before…” He made a weak hand gesture that didn’t hold any meaning, but they all knew what he was talking about, and the silence that followed was almost eerie.

It didn’t last too long, though, because, of course, there was one someone who actually didn’t know what he was talking about.

“What… what is the old strategy?” Minho asked into the quiet, clearly confused.

At least two people inhaled sharply, holding their breath after that question and waiting for someone else to explain. Eventually, it was Seungmin himself who explained their old strategy, the one they had used before the attack on the ship Minho had been on had gone so wrong. Jisung cleared his throat quietly once Seungmin was done, carefully adding the most important detail Seungmin had left out.

“Seungminie hasn’t used his powers since that raid, though…”

To his surprise, Seungmin shook his head.

“Not entirely true… I used them to find you on Queirigia, and a few times here on the ship in the meantime…” That last part was news to everyone but Chan, and, surprisingly, Minho, while the other three stared at Seungmin in shock. The young Taviran merely shrugged, though, even if it didn’t look quite as nonchalant as he was aiming for. “What? I can’t keep avoiding using them forever. They are a part of me, and I’m tired of being afraid of that part.”

“It’s different to use your powers on the Esmerilhao, where you know exactly who’s on board and what to expect, with no other ship around, than to use them in a raid, though, Minnie… Are you sure you are ready for that?” Chan asked gently, and Seungmin shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“Well… _ready,_ ready, I’ll probably never be. But does it matter? I need to get used to it again. I can’t hide myself and my powers forever just because there might be a possibility that someone is going to invade my mind-” He broke off with a shudder, and next to Jisung, Minho shrunk in his seat.

The motion didn’t go unnoticed by Seungmin, who found Minho’s gaze and held it.

“I don’t blame you, Minho. It wasn’t your fault… And I’m sorry I keep bringing it up; I’m still struggling with it, but I really don’t blame you.”

Minho shifted in his seat again, frown on his face intensifying, and it looked like he was fighting an internal battle with himself before making a decision.

“I… I might have a suggestion…”

Seungmin blinked, confused, looking at him questioningly.

“I… The other day, I told you a bit about my powers… About how they are meant to protect and strengthen, among other things…”

“Yes…?”

“And I was thinking… If you were ever up for it… I could… I could protect your mind from attacks the likes of which I- _they_ made me use on you, when you are using your powers. I can use my powers like a shield, and like an amplifier, too, for other people’s powers. O-of course, that is just a suggestion, and I totally get if you wouldn’t want that, not right now or possibly ever, but-”

“You can?”

Minho stopped his rambling once Seungmin interrupted him with an intrigued look fixed on him.

“W-what?”

“You can do that? You could protect my mind from attacks while I’m using my powers?”

Slowly, Minho nodded, barely daring to breathe as he waited for Seungmin’s reaction, who, surprisingly, didn’t look opposed to the idea at all.

Two seats over from Seungmin and ignored by both him and Minho, sat Woojin, barely holding on to himself as emotions warred inside him. The only thing keeping him in his seat and not interjecting, putting an immediate end to the discussion between Seungmin and Minho, was Chan’s hand covering his own and holding on tight in his lap.

Chan could feel Woojin shaking with barely controlled emotions beside him, and all he could do was hope that he managed to hold on to them. He didn’t react at all when Woojin turned his hand to hold on to Chan’s, too, almost crushing it in the process. As long as it helped Woojin keep a hold on himself and not interrupt the fragile peace offering between Minho and Seungmin, he would gladly suffer through a crushed hand.

“How… how do you do that?” Seungmin asked Minho, clearly warming up to the idea.

“Well… I have to stay close to the person I want to protect. Touching them, if I don’t know them and their powers well yet. And then… It’s kind of a reaching out, and I’m just… _there._ Accompanying the extension of your powers, like a thought in the back of your mind, I guess. I don’t know exactly how it feels since I’ve never had someone protect my mind like that, so I can’t tell you for sure; sorry.”

Seungmin shook his head.

“That’s fine. I’m wondering… Do you think we could try that out, first? Like, right now?”

Seungmin’s eagerness surprised not just Minho, who looked overwhelmed enough but agreed nonetheless. Woojin’s hold on Chan’s hand had increased exponentially over time, though, and Chan was almost sure he had felt at least two joints shift unnaturally under his crushing fingers. Still, he didn’t retract his hand, keeping quiet and following the exchange between the other two.

“Uh… Sure, if you want to…”

“Tell me what to do!”

Minho ran a hand nervously through his hair, before extending his hand to Seungmin.

“You see auras and intentions, right?”

Seungmin nodded.

“Then, just, reach out with your powers to see my aura, and then take my hand.”

Seungmin’s gaze unfocused slightly, like it always did when he saw beyond what everyone else could see, and then slowly reached out to touch Minho’s hand.

He flinched for a second when they touched, and finally, Chan hissed quietly when he definitely felt something give in under Woojin’s crushing hold. Immediately, Woojin let go of it, and Chan hastily offered him his other hand to hold. They really couldn’t interrupt Seungmin and Minho now!

Despite the initial jump, Seungmin didn’t back away from Minho, holding on to his hand while Minho returned the hold only limply. He looked relaxed, almost, if there wasn’t the look of underlying curiosity on his face despite his unfocused gaze.

“Is this is?” Seungmin asked eventually, and Minho hummed.

“Yes. I’m shielding your mind now. Try to extend your powers? Like, check for presences further away, on the ship and outside, as far as you can.”

Seungmin did as asked, and they could all see the surprise in his expression eventually.

“That’s… That is… I’ve never been able to see that far! There’s nothing there to see, but if there was… Wow!”

“I… I’m going to let go now…” Minho announced after a moment more, and Seungmin nodded, blinking rapidly twice, and his gaze was focused again.

“That was… intense. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to see such detail, and that far!”

Slowly, visibly, some tenseness seeped out of Minho and he managed a small smile.

“That’s what happens when I try to amplify your powers. I don’t get to see what you do when I do this, and I don’t think I want to see it. But… yeah, this is essentially it, and how it feels when I shield you…”

Seungmin hummed, only now letting go of Minho’s hand, who retracted it and held on to Jisung’s instead.

“I honestly thought it would feel much more invasive, really. But this… This is comforting, almost! Like a… a mind-hug, of sorts.” He beamed at Minho, and the other relaxed a bit more, even. “So, if it’s really ok with you… I think I would like to work together with you for the raid!”

Minho released a small breath he had been holding and nodded.

“Yes. If I can help that way, I want to!”

Seungmin clapped his hands excitedly, giving the others an expectant look.

“Great! So, what about you?”

To say they were hesitant was putting it lightly, but no one voiced any objections; nor anything else, for that matter, until Changbin broke the silence.

“Well, I’m good with proceeding as usual, for my part. I’ll take the bridge, and Seungminie and Minho stay with me…?”

No one objected to that, either, but Jisung still had something else to add.

“I… I don’t know about this… Not _this-_ ” He gestured at Changbin, Minho and Seungmin. “-but… I really don’t want to leave the Esmerilhao to go onto another ship, if possible.”

“Of course, Sung, you don’t have to if you don’t want to…” Chan was quick to reassure, but Jisung shook his head.

“I still want to do something, though! I don’t want to stand by uselessly…!”

“And you won’t! You can stay in the hold and stow away what Woojin and I bring over… That is, if Woojin is coming over to the other ship with me?” He addressed the man next to him, and Woojin jumped, pulled out of his thoughts.

“Hm…? What?!”

Chan smiled gently at him.

“I’m asking if you are still coming over onto the other ships with me, during raids. Or if you are you are going to stay on the Esmerilhao from now on, too.”

Woojin narrowed his eyes slightly as he thought about it, mentally going over everyone’s positions and hesitating with his answer, but eventually he nodded.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’m coming with you…”

“Perfect!” Chan clapped his hands once. “That means we have that all sorted! Binnie, find us a good target!”

*#*#*#*

The Alliance forces on the ship they targeted fought back, even after their ship was almost completely torn apart by the combined attacks of Chan and Woojin, and the two of them ended up finishing off the whole crew once they went over, one by one, as they crossed them and didn’t know when to back down.

It was a good thing, in a way, that the dirty part of the raid was over so quickly, even if Jisung had to flee the cargo hold when the smell of blood wafting over through the docked ramps overwhelmed him and left him throwing up in a bathroom.

On the bridge, the situation wasn’t ideal, either, since only shortly after Seungmin announced over the intercoms that there were no soldiers left on the other ship, Minho let out an exhausted groan.

“Seungmin… I’m sorry, I have to back out…” He rasped out, and Seungmin quickly retracted his powers, too, focusing on Minho in front of him. Minho stumbled, and Seungmin only just caught him in time to keep him from falling, helping him into a chair.

“Shit, Minho…! Your nose is bleeding!”

Changbin whipped around in his seat, too, frowning at the pair.

“There are tissues in the drawers under that desk, second panel.” He informed Seungmin, who was quick to retrieve them and hand them over to Minho.

“I’m really sorry… I thought I was well enough, but I suppose I still need to heal more to be strong enough to keep this up for longer…” Minho winced, wiping at the blood on his face.

Changbin left for a moment, returning with a glass of a clear blue liquid after a short while, handing it to Minho.

“Here, this’ll help… You really shouldn’t overexert yourself.” Next, he pulled out their already well-loved blanket with cartoon characters, ignoring any possible objections as he wrapped Minho in it.

“Jisung is going to throw a fit if he sees you bleeding and thinks we didn’t take proper care of you; you’ll have to tolerate the blanket. Be glad I’m not rushing you to the infirmary!” Changbin muttered under his breath, and all protests died on Minho’s lips.

“I’m fine, though… Or, I will be…” He tried to reassure them when Changbin stepped back, and Seungmin nodded.

“You will; we’re going to make sure of it. And not just because Jisung would modify our showers to chop us up neatly if we didn’t take good care of you. You should really drink that, I promise Changbin isn’t trying to poison you. It’s really tasty and refreshing, too.” He pointed at the glass Minho was still holding but hadn’t tried a sip out of yet.

Minho lifted the glass skeptically, sniffing the liquid.

“What is it?”

“A kind of tea Chan’s started brewing for when we are really low on energy. We always have some of it in the fridge, but the one who basically runs on it alone is Chan himself. I swear most of his blood must have been replaced with that stuff already.”

Tentatively, Minho took a sip. He was surprised by the gentle, refreshing taste and took another, larger sip right after.

“It’s good.”

“Right?” Seungmin smiled triumphantly in an ‘I told you so’-manner. “Do you want to eat something, too? I don’t think I saw you eating at all today, yet.”

Minho shook his head, though.

“You’re right, I haven’t. I was too nervous to… But I don’t want anything right now, either; I feel too nauseous.”

Changbin turned back towards them with a slightly worried expression.

“Are you going to throw up?”

Minho shook his head, wincing at the motion.

“No. Not as long as I remember not to shake my head at questions I would answer with ‘no’, anyway…”

Changbin hummed, accepting his answer, but kept watching him with a slight frown for a moment.

“Chan gets nosebleeds and nauseous, too, when he overuses his powers, most of the time. And headaches. Is your head ok, Minho?”

Minho tried to hide a grimace as he instinctually went to shake his head again.

“Not really… It kind of feels like it’s about to split in half…”

Without further prompting, Changbin dimmed the lights on the bridge to a minimum and turned the sound off the controls on the desk in front of him, lowering the volume of those he couldn’t, or shouldn’t, turn off, too.

“You should put your feet up to help with your headache; at least that’s what Chan claims works best. And I have some of his painkillers here somewhere… If I give you the bottle, do you think you will be able to figure out what dosage you would need?”

Minho shrugged weakly, while Seungmin busied himself with getting a chair in place for Minho to prop his feet up on.

“I don’t think so… I don’t know what would work for me…”

Changbin frowned.

“How do you not-… You have to know what dosage of what painkiller you can take, though!”

Minho tried shaking his head again, groaning softly at the wave of nausea washing over him in response.

“I don’t… I’ve never taken any painkillers.”

Both Seungmin and Changbin looked at him, incredulous, and it took everything in him not to hide behind the blanket that was covering most of him already anyway.

“How…? Surely you must have over-used your powers before, though?”

Minho shrugged.

“Plenty of times. I was never given anything to help recover from it, though. Nor told what to take.”

Changbin’s expression darkened, while sympathy shone in Seungmin’s.

“That’s just… Yeah, well, I guess we’ve long since established the Alliance is made up of jerks, so it makes sense. I’m going to see if I can find a database that can help us out there…”

Minho sighed quietly.

“It’s ok, though, I don’t need anything… You should focus on what you need to do for the raid…”

Changbin, who’d already turned back to his desk, turned around to face Minho again, but only short enough to shoot him a glare.

“This isn’t about whether you strictly _need_ something to alleviate your pain, but about what _should_ be done to keep you from suffering needlessly! Don’t worry about my part in this raid, I have it all under control here; I have plenty of time to look up painkiller dosages in between!”

He’d long since turned back around to start typing and searching before he finished his mini-speech, and silence followed his words for a while.

“These bastards, really…” He muttered eventually, and Seungmin made a questioning humming sound.

“They made sure to eradicate almost all information there ever was about Ega and Egai… All I can find out there is some old medical records about Egai expats on other planets that are not part of the Alliance, and even those are… patchy. How am I supposed to read this, I don’t think a headache warrants the same dosage of Alcantara-root extract as the amputation of half an arm…”  Changbin grumbled under his breath while Seungmin peered over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, either. What’s this one about?”

Changbin clicked the link Seungmin pointed at, and they scanned it together before shaking their heads in unison, and Changbin pulled up the next link. Neither noticed Minho slowly falling asleep in the quite comfortable setting of the bridge, what with his comfortable position, lights dimmed and peace and quiet around them.

Eventually, they decided they would come to no conclusion, and when turning around, finally noticed Minho was unconscious. A moment of panic followed, before they figured out Minho was just asleep, and they decided to leave him be and tried to be as quiet as possible.

Chan announced the end of the raid about an hour later, returning to the Esmerilhao with Woojin and the last of what they looted from the upper-mid-weight Alliance fighter. Shortly after, the two of them and Jisung burst onto the bridge, just to be shushed immediately by Changbin and Seungmin. All three of them froze immediately, heads turning simultaneously when Seungmin gesticulated at Minho.

Jisung let out a choked yell, rushing over to Minho’s side, but Seungmin intercepted him.

“He’s just sleeping, relax. He exhausted himself helping me earlier, said he was probably not well enough to help me like he did, yet. We made sure he was comfortable and could rest, and he’s been out for about an hour now, but you should probably let him rest more.”

Jisung took a deep breath, calming himself, before nodding in agreement. He still couldn’t resist brushing Minho’s hair out of his face gently in an affectionate gesture.

“We wanted to give him something for his headache, too, but we didn’t know what and how much, and neither did he. We found nothing useful in any databases, either. All information about Egai people is basically gone.” Changbin supplied when Chan approached his desk and pointed questioningly at the search windows still open. Chan sighed with a pained expression.

“Of course, it is… They’re trying to make everyone forget Ega even existed in the first place… just like all the other planets they destroyed, and species they managed to eradicate rather successfully. If we want information about them, you need to crack the Alliance’s central databases.”

Changbin huffed, annoyed.

“I’m working on it, but it’s still going to take a few months, at best. That’s one base no one has managed to crack yet.”

Chan ruffled his hair affectionately.

“If anyone can, I know it’s you, Binnie. I’m not rushing you, though, take your time. We’ll figure out a way to help Minho, anyway.” The last part was directed mostly at Jisung, who still hovered worriedly near the sleeping Egai.

Jisung fidgeted where he stood, and then walked over to where Chan was, tugging him aside slightly, out of immediate earshot.

“Chan, I… Minho asked me not to tell you, but… I’m getting really, really worried…”

Chan rose a questioning eyebrow.

“You are…? Before you tell me, are you sure you should, if Minho asked you not to?”

Jisung bit his lip indecisively, but then shook his head determinedly when he made his decision.

“He’s just being stubborn! It’s… He’s not healing, Chan. Not like he should. He’s a really, really strong guy, usually; both physically and power-wise. But, these days… He can barely walk. He got a headache from what little he used of his powers to demonstrate them to Seungmin the other day. If I saw that right, he got a nosebleed earlier, plus the headache, and must have looked miserable enough to the point Seungmin and Changbin felt the need to fuss over him to get him where he is now: fast asleep despite there being five people chattering around him. And he is usually a really light sleeper! Chan, he really isn’t well, and I-… I’m begging you, please! Please, do something to make him accept your help, and check him over, heal what you can, something, _anything_ , to get him back to health! _Please!_ ”

Chan was stunned at Jisung’s outburst, but he caught himself quickly. He patted Jisung’s shoulder comfortingly, before pulling him into a hug.

“You didn’t need to beg for me to do that, Sung. You know I’d do anything for you; even fight your stubborn and very much intimidatingly powerful boyfriend.”

Jisung sighed deeply, slumping against Chan.

“I really want to hit him sometimes, for being such a head-ass. He’s insufferable! You really have to force good fortune upon him most days…”

Chan chuckled softly, rubbing Jisung’s back gently.

“I’m sure you are the only one who could do that and walk away from it alive, too. I’ll do my best to convince him to let me help him, though.”

Jisung hugged Chan back tightly.

“Please. Anything goes, as long as he’s overall better afterwards than he is now…!”

*#*#*#*

Woojin and Seungmin didn’t know how it had happened, but they suddenly found themselves alone on the bridge. Between Changbin wandering off to get started on preparing dinner and Chan helping Jisung get Minho back to their cabin, they were the ones left in charge up there. At least Woojin was, with no way to excuse himself and leave, too. Seungmin could leave at any time, but Woojin really wished he wouldn’t. When Seungmin turned away, destination and intention unclear to Woojin, his mouth was faster than his brain as he called him back.

“Seungmin, wait…!”

Seungmin stopped, turning around to face Woojin with an unreadable expression.

It hurt, seeing Seungmin look at him like that, Woojin found, unaware that Seungmin’s thoughts went along the same lines. It hurt, having to close himself off to Woojin. He saw no other way, though.

They regarded each other in silence for quite a while, until Seungmin broke the silence, hiding his reluctance to do so well.

“Did you need something?”

Woojin swallowed thickly.

“I…” Yes, actually, he wanted to say. I need you to stop avoiding me. I need my brother back! He shook his head slowly, though. “No, not really… I just…”

Seungmin tried not to let any signs of the longing he felt for his brother show in his expression. If he knew how well he succeeded, he would probably have been appalled at himself, though.

“Well, if there is nothing, I’ll just-”

“Please, stay, Min- Seungminie. Please. I-… I’m sorry.”

Seungmin froze mid-turn, stomping down the longing and hope violently. Still, he turned back to Woojin.

“You what?”

Woojin swallowed thickly.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I… I shouldn’t have done what I did. I- I thought I was helping you, thought that I had to do everything I could to keep you safe, but… I never asked you what would make you feel safe.”

Oh, how much he had longed to hear those words from Woojin! But did he mean them? Or was he just saying that because he figured that was what Seungmin wanted to hear? They had both had their talks with Chan, he could have easily tattled what Seungmin needed to Woojin.

“I’ll try to be better, Seungmin. I’ll really try. I don’t want to stifle you, I want you to be happy. I’ll try to learn to listen, and let you make your own decisions without interfering. I’ll really try, I promise…”

There was only so much Seungmin could take, and seeing Woojin fight himself like that, for his sake, standing there looking close to tears as he essentially begged him to stop being an abrasive ass… that was more than he could handle. Still, he couldn’t give in just that easily, either; not completely at least.

“You really are trying, aren’t you…” He conceded quietly, and Woojin gasped softly. He must not have expected Seungmin to really take a step towards him in any way. “You didn’t try to stop me from working together with Minho…”

Woojin didn’t know how to reply, so he didn’t. Instead, he just held Seungmin’s gaze, and even though Seungmin tried to hide it, Woojin could tell that his stance had softened a bit.

“Thank you, for that. For not trying to stop me from working with Minho. It must not have been easy for you.”

Woojin inhaled a shaky breath, shaking his head slowly.

“It wasn’t… And if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Chan…  I… I’m really trying, but I would be lying if I said it’s not going to take me a while to learn… I don’t know if I will always be able to hold back, Min… I’ve spent so much time of my life protecting you, _needing_ to protect you… It’s against every fiber of my being to stand by and do nothing while watching you run head-first into danger.”

Seungmin sighed quietly.

“You have to, though, Woojin… You have to learn. You have to let me grow, make my own choices and my own mistakes. You have to let me go and come back to you on my own terms.”

Woojin swallowed thickly but nodded.

“I know… That’s what Chan said, too… And I get it, I do… And I’ll do my best. I’m just saying… Please bear with me when I slip up. And please, please don’t shut me out anymore. Please…”

Seungmin found himself swallowing thickly, his eyes stinging with unshed tears, too. He pushed them back, though.

“Promise me you will never do anything that is going to push someone I love out of my life, ever again, Woojin. That includes everyone on this ship.”

Woojin’s expression flickered with something that looked like the unvoiced question: “Everyone?”

Seungmin understood it as such and nodded in answer. “Everyone. Don’t ever push any of them somewhere that might make them leave my life again.”

Woojin hesitated a bit too long with his answer, and Seungmin’s expression started to harden again.

“That is one thing I will never forgive, Woojin. You have to promise me you won’t be the reason I lose any one of them.”

Finally, Woojin nodded, slowly.

“I won’t. I won’t make any more decisions regarding who stays and leaves the ship, aside from myself.”

Seungmin’s heart near stilled in his chest at those words, a sliver of panic rising within him.

“Everyone includes you, you know… Please don’t leave my life, either. I may be mad at you, but I still love you.”

A small, trembling smile found its way onto Woojin’s lips.

“I’m glad to hear that… I love you, too, Minnie… And I’m not planning to leave… for now.”

It was Seungmin’s turn to draw a shaky breath.

“I know this is unfair, but you can’t just leave, Woojin. I’m not the only one who needs you on this ship… There is someone else you should turn all that worrying you do over me to.”

Woojin gave him a thoroughly confused look, and Seungmin shook his head, a small yet already mischievous smile stealing itself across his lips.

“You should worry about Chan instead. He spends all his time looking after everyone, yet he has no one to look after him.”

Seungmin’s words went in the precise direction Woojin already suspected, but that didn’t save him from spluttering, tripping over his words and ultimately not getting anything coherent out.

“I’m serious, Woojin. Channie is the one on this ship who needs the most care and attention, and the one who gets the least of it. He just won’t accept it from those of us that are younger than him. Changbin, Jisung, Me… We do our best, but it’ll never be enough, or what he needs.”

Woojin finally found his words again at this point, though not the courage to look Seungmin in the eyes as he spoke.

“He won’t accept help, care and attention from anyone…” He muttered to his feet, but Seungmin was too used to catch Woojin’s smallest whispers that he thought went unheard by everyone.

“He will accept them if they are coming from you, Woojin. You are the only one with a chance to genuinely take care of Chan; the only one he will let do that. You are special to him.”

Despite everything, Woojin couldn’t fight the small smile and wave of happiness Seungmin’s words brought him. Not that what he was saying was completely news to him, but having someone else confirm what he suspected helped oh so much! Still, it wasn’t the one cure all, solve all.

“I’ll think about it, Min. But… You will always be my number one priority.”

Seungmin huffed softly.

“You say that now, but just you wait… Just you wait…” He mumbled, more to himself than to Woojin, and Woojin really didn’t quite catch it.

*#*#*#*

Minho woke up in the precise moment Jisung went to tuck him in, after Chan had deposited him in his bed. He looked confused, but that confusion dissipated as soon as he saw Jisung, giving way to a sleepy, adoring expression instead.

“Hey…” He greeted groggily, and Jisung smiled down at him.

“Hey… Sleep well?”

Minho mumbled something incoherent, snuggling deeper into the bed, when he stilled suddenly and snapped his head back around.

“Wait, the raid-…!”

“Is over, all done and dusted.” Jisung interrupted him calmly, pushing him back onto the mattress when he tried to sit up.

“But…!”

“We’re all done, everything’s stowed away and we’ve long since left the wreck behind. You can rest now.” Chan interrupted him this time, attracting Minho’s attention to him, and Minho tensed again.

“Chan, I… I’m sorry I failed like this, I really tried-”

Chan waved his hand dismissively, interrupting him.

“You didn’t fail anyone, Minho, it’s ok. I do, however, have something I need to talk to you about. Regarding your condition.”

Minho averted his gaze, biting his lip without replying.

“You should be pretty much healed by now, but from what I heard you didn’t manage to use your powers for very long, and knocked out soon after.”

Minho flinched slightly, cowering under Chan’s gaze.

“I’m sorry… I’ll do better next time, I promise…”

Chan shook his head, sighing.

“That’s not… I’m not here to criticize you, Minho. I’m here because you aren’t well, and it’s time to change that. I know you said you didn’t want my help because you didn’t deserve it and you already did so much harm to my crew, etc, but… You are part of my crew now, and what kind of captain would I be if I just let a member of my crew suffer for no good reason when I could so easily help them?!”

Minho gaped at Chan with incredulity in his gaze.

“On this ship, we fight and forgive each other, even when the fights are violent. None of us hold grudges against you anymore; least of all the ones that were actually hurt through you, in fact. It’s time for you to start to let go and try to forgive yourself for what you didn’t even do. And you should start to do that by stopping to punish yourself, and accept my help to heal you properly. You’ve been in pain way too long now.”

Minho looked almost ashamed as he stared the foot-end of the bed down unseeingly, tears gathering in his eyes without him even noticing. Jisung, however, very much noticed and crawled onto the bed quickly, hugging Minho. That succeeded in causing the tears to spill, and Minho turned into Jisung’s chest to hide them when he finally noticed them, too.

“Please, Min… Let him help you…” He whispered against the top of Minho’s head while carding his fingers through his hair soothingly.

Minho didn’t answer, not making a single sound as he took deep breaths to calm himself down and dry his tears. Over his head, Jisung and Chan exchanged looks, agreeing quietly to wait it out until Minho calmed down to prod further.

Overall, it took far less time than either of them expected for Minho to pull away from Jisung, wiping the remnants of his tears away with one last deep breath.

“I’m sorry…” He started, but Chan shook his head, interrupting him.

“Don’t. You did nothing wrong.”

Minho grimaced but let it go. For a while, he said nothing, staring at his hands as he wrung them in his lap, but ultimately he seemed to come to a decision, looking directly at Chan.

“What… what are you going to do?”

“What I am going to do? You mean…?”

Minho nodded.

“If you are going to heal me. What is it you are going to do?”

Chan schooled his expression into a neutral one as relief that Minho was at least considering to let him help him bloomed inside his chest.

“Well… I use my powers to heal. All I do is basically… Channel and morph your own body’s energy into ways to heal your own cells, tissues, organs. If your own energy isn’t enough, I can use mine, or energy from an outside source.”

Minho thought about it, deeply, for a while. He didn’t seem to come to a conclusion, though.

“There is something you are afraid of.” Chan realized eventually, causing Minho to jump slightly where he sat, still in the circle of Jisung’s arms. He looked away with something like shame in his expression again.

“It has nothing to do with you, I promise…” Minho started, wincing at something neither Chan nor Jisung could identify. “It’s just… I’ve gone through one to many… procedures, and almost never was the result in my favour…”

Understanding flashed across Chan’s expression.

“Ah… I see… I can promise you, though, that I won’t do anything to harm you, Minho. I want to help you, to fix whatever damage there is in your body that is not healing and been hurting you. I want you to be healthy and back on your feet like you should be. I have no interest whatsoever in harming you any further.”

Behind Minho, Jisung tightened his hug, resting his chin on his shoulder and brushing a light kiss against the shell of his ear.

“You remember how I told you about how Chan took the tracking chips out of us, right?”

Minho nodded almost imperceptibly.

“I told you how it didn’t even hurt, right? You have nothing to fear from Chan’s powers when he’s healing you.”

Chan hummed in confirmation of Jisung’s words.

“Besides, no matter how weak you are, with me using my powers inside your body, I am sure yours will still be stronger and you could easily use them to stop me. I’d be more at your mercy than you at mine… And while I can make sure you won’t feel a single thing, if you prefer to know where exactly I am doing anything, I can let you feel at least something. Not pain, though.”

Minho thought about it in silence, until eventually, he pulled his knees up and hid his face against them with a deep sigh.

“I don’t know what to do… I won’t heal on my own, will I?”

“I can’t tell you that for sure, Minho. You might, or you might not. I don’t know. All I do know is that I can heal you. Maybe not all at once today, depending on how much there is to heal, but with maybe another day or two, for sure. You don’t need to be in pain anymore.”

Minho sighed again after a while, lifting his head from his knees with a resigned expression.

“I don’t know if I can really trust you… You haven’t done anything for me to distrust you, but… It’s still not easy for me to trust anyone with my body. I… I trust Jisung, though. And since Jisung trusts you… And I don’t really have a choice…”

He shook his head, exhaling slowly with his eyes closed, his hands finding Jisung’s and interlocking with them. Jisung nuzzled the side of his neck soothingly, peppering feather-light kisses to his skin as he went, until Minho relaxed slowly into him.

Squeezing Jisung’s hands tightly to ground himself, Minho eventually opened his eyes again, finding Chan’s gaze.

“Go ahead, then… What do you need me to do?”

Chan finally let the relief he felt show, smiling placatingly.

“Thank you…! You don’t need to do anything. Maybe try to relax… And don’t crush Jisungie’s hands too badly.”

Minho looked skeptically at Chan, but loosened his hold on Jisung’s hands, who chuckled softly, placing another kiss against Minho’s neck.

“All I need to do is touch you somewhere, to be able to channel your energy with more precision. Scooch over a little…” Chan sat down at the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Minho’s shoulder once he was comfortable.

“If you want a break at any point, just let me know. If there’s anything I’m missing and that’s making you uncomfortable, let me know, too. And if you need to move.”

Minho nodded, and Chan closed his eyes, focusing. He felt his powers, felt Minho’s energy, and then he jumped when he felt his powers come into contact with Minho’s. He could tell they were truly similar to his own, in the way they worked, just… in a completely abstract way; a way that his own were powerless against. He was suddenly very glad he wasn’t up _against_ Minho, not anymore. He was just here to help and heal Minho, and that was what he focused on, letting himself feel the damage in Minho’s body to be able to localize and fix it.

Jisung felt Minho shuddering in his arms when his powers brushed with Chan’s, felt him tense and slowly, very slowly, untense as time passed. Still, he kept playing soothingly with Minho’s hands, holding him against himself while watching Chan’s expression. He could tell from the way his brow furrowed, the way he bit his lips or rose an eyebrow if what he found was worrying, strange, hard to fix. The silent determination behind it all and small bouts of satisfaction showing in the quirking corners of his lips were all he needed to know Minho would be fine, though, and so he was able to keep being the soothing presence Minho needed in those long moments.

*#*#*#*

By the time Changbin called them for dinner, Chan was exhausted. Not to the point his head hurt or anything, but he did feel as if he’d just run way too far, feeling parched and dizzy, his brow damp with sweat. He wasn’t done healing Minho yet, but despite the nature and severity of the damage he wasn’t as hard to heal as he’d feared and with one more session after dinner, he should be good.

Chan, Jisung and Minho made their way over to the galley together, and were surprised to see Woojin and Seungmin already there with Changbin. It had been near impossible to find the two brothers even remotely close to each other on the ship for ages now f no one forced them, so, to see them sitting at the same table and even exchanging amicable words with each other, was unexpected; far from unwelcome, though.

Chan felt a weight the size of the Esmerilhao fall off his chest when Woojin didn’t leave when Minho sat with them at the table, either.

“You look better, Minho. Did you have a good rest?” Seungmin asked once Minho found his seat, and Minho gave him a small smile in answer.

“I did, thank you. But I’m afraid any improvement to my form are thanks to Chan.”

“Oh? Did he heal you?”

Minho nodded.

“Almost.”

Seungmin smiled warmly at him.

“I’m glad. You shouldn’t be in pain! You really scared us earlier, when you went all pale and got that nosebleed… Next time, please don’t go that far before pulling out. I’m really grateful for your help, you made me feel really safe, and it’s amazing how much I can see with your help, but none of it is worth you getting hurt over!”

A becoming blush tinted Minho’s ears and cheeks, and the warmth that spread in his heart at Seungmin’s words was almost visible to the others sitting at the table with him.

“I should be better by next time and able to help you for longer, anyway…” He replied softly.

“That’s good to hear. To be honest, I don’t know if I could help out with the raids again without your help, at least in the beginning of them, before I actually know what’s expecting us. But in a team with you, I’m all good! It’ll be even better when you are on top of your game again!”

Minho couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, lowering his head with his gaze fixed on the plate Changbin just served him to hide it.

“Yeah… I enjoyed working with you earlier, too. If I can keep contributing anything during the raids by helping you like that… That’d be great.”

“You two were a good duo today. If you want to keep working together, I have nothing against that.” Chan added with a smile, happy to see Seungmin and Minho, of all people, get along and become a team. He turned his attention to Jisung, then, though.

“What about you, though, Sung? With everything going on, I didn’t get to ask you yet, but… you didn’t fare so well earlier down there, did you?”

Jisung paled a little, shifting uncomfortably at all the attention turning to him now, but then shook his head in confirmation.

“No, I didn’t… The smell of blood… and when Min said they were all eliminated, and I wanted to come over and help for a bit, the sight of those bodies… That really didn’t sit well with my stomach.  I don’t think I can come over with you onto other ships again any time soon. Even being in the bay was a challenge today.”

Chan hummed in understanding.

“I’ll try not to be as messy anymore. And you don’t need to come over if you don’t want to, that’s ok. We’ll find something else for you; after all… I heard we need to fill a position of quartermaster?” he added with a certain teasing glint in his eyes, and Jisung stared at him in shock.

“Me? You can’t be serious!”

Chan grinned, though, shrugging with mock indifference.

“Oh, but I am! Why not?!”

He got incredulous looks not just from Jisung, but also Seungmin, Woojin and Changbin. It was Minho who voiced what they were all thinking, though.

“Jisung as quartermaster, of all people… Yep, we are doomed!”


	16. New Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait; have a 13k chapter as apology!

Jisung made it a point to prove everyone wrong, and actually did a really decent job as quartermaster; just like Chan had hoped. It didn’t take long for the Esmerilhao to be completely restocked in all departments, and Jisung made sure that state was maintained at all times. It was enough of a task to keep Jisung thoroughly busy, though, and consequently managed to keep him from feeling guilty about not actively participating in the raids anymore.

Chan and Woojin had their hands full during those raids, though; without Jisung to help, they had a lot more to do by themselves. They were far from complaining, though.

Chan was just happy -ecstatic, even- to have his whole crew back together, and he warmed up to Minho relatively quickly, too. It took him a bit of an effort in the beginning, but when he noticed him and Seungmin becoming closer with each raid they worked together, he simply couldn’t hold on to any rest of a grudge that might have clung to his heart until then.

Woojin was still quieter than he’d been before; “before” meaning before the raid that had originally thrown them all into misery. He was opening up slowly, yes, but it was indeed a slow process. He did his best to not stifle Seungmin, but it also resulted in him withdrawing from his brother to a degree. They talked and laughed together, shared thoughts and hugs, but it still wasn’t what it used to be. A part of Woojin was always holding back, and it was obvious that it kept him from being truly happy and carefree.

The closest Woojin ever was to carefree was during the breaks he took while analyzing data with Chan. When the two of them together decided they needed a breather, went to the galley and whipped up something to eat for everyone or just a snack for themselves, talking about what plagued their minds or something as inconsequential as a pretty rock formation on an asteroid they’d passed the day before, those were the moments Woojin was the closest to himself.

Chan didn’t stay ignorant to that fact, and not just because Seungmin, as well as Changbin, had pointed it out to him. He enjoyed those times spent with Woojin, too, and he might or might not have spent a fair share of his own time mulling over Woojin’s behaviour when it was just the two of them, too. He very well understood Woojin’s sentiments in those moments, since he felt the same. In fact, every time, as soon as they decided to meet up to go over data together, Chan found himself already looking forward to their breaks.

Changbin, aside from pointing their chumminess out to Chan, also took it upon himself to tease him about it. It fell on dead soil, though, since Chan straight up admitted to his fondness for Woojin, and expressed his love for the times they spent together. Changbin booed at him, feeling bereft of a good laugh at Chan’s expense, but both knew he didn’t mean it. Changbin was as happy that Chan had found something -or rather, someone- that made him feel as happy as Woojin did as everyone else on the ship.

Aside from pouring over data with Woojin, Chan also spent a good amount of time overseeing Jisung and Seungmin’s training once again. Now, though, he was mostly only focusing on keeping the ship around them (and sometimes, them themselves) intact while Minho was the one doing the active training.

As an insider to the Alliance’s tactics and training himself, there was no-one better than him to show them how to defend themselves. It also helped that both Jisung and Seungmin looked up to him and at him for guidance whenever the remains of their respective traumas came up.

For Jisung, the sore point was obviously short-range weapons and close body-to-body combat. Interestingly enough, he had less problems training those with Minho than with Seungmin, or anyone else, as opponent. And still, it happened fairly often that they had to interrupt their practice sessions because Jisung simply needed a hug, and it had to be a tight, long one that allowed him to hear Minho’s heart beating.

Seungmin, in turn, fought his trauma like a man possessed, asking Minho to teach him ways to counter a mental attack himself. Minho was reluctant at first, very much so, but he eventually agreed. Chan walked in on them facing each other, sweat beading on their foreheads and gazes unfocused as they seemingly stared at each other but saw nothing, on multiple occasions. Seungmin didn’t back out a single time; it was always Minho who called for the end of the training.

Minho never let Seungmin know anything about it, but using his powers in _that_ way took a toll on him. Often, he would sit on the bed in the cabin he shared with Jisung afterwards, staring unseeingly at the wall across from him, feeling almost as trapped in his mind as he had been when his superiors in the Alliance used him, until Jisung came and silently wrapped him up in tight but gentle hugs. Only then did he find his way out of his thoughts and the strength to process the events of the day.

Slowly but surely, though, the training that initially took such a toll on him, paired with the way he helped Seungmin during raids, started to benefit him, too. He began to be able to focus on the positive aspects of his powers rather than the negative ones, began to see and feel them as the nurturing and protecting powers they were. The constant reassurance of pretty much the rest of the crew that they didn’t blame him for what the Alliance used him for and that he was innocent also started to get through to him, unbeknownst at first, until it took a firm root and he managed to start believing it himself.

Seungmin didn’t let anyone know about the toll the training took on him, either; well, no one but Chan. Chan only found out by accident, too. He’d long since retired for the night when he woke up from a weird dream and decided he absolutely had to get his link that he’d left on the bridge before going to bed and went to get it, using his powers to help find the way and stay upright in his sleep-heavy state. That was how, when he passed Seungmin’s door, he felt how distraught the young Taviran was and decided to investigate. He ended up waking him up from a nightmare, holding him and reassuring him he was safe for close to an hour while Seungmin shed countless silent tears against his shoulder. After that, it became their secret, and Seungmin spent many a night curled up next to Chan when nightmares woke him up and left him too terrified to go back to sleep by himself.

Eventually, his nightmares became fewer, though, and just as he learned to counter or evade Minho’s attacks, he learned to deal with the fear his nightmares brought up time and time again. While everyone congratulated him on his progress with fighting the attacks on his mind, only Chan learned about his progress fighting his nightmares and fears; and once again, only because Chan realized, slowly, that Seungmin’s nightly visits became fewer and he eventually asked him about it.

Chan was incredibly happy for Seungmin, for he wished nothing but the best for him, but he couldn’t help but feel a little lonely at night now that Seungmin rarely ever came over anymore. It prompted him to stay up longer and longer again, often sharing that time with Woojin, who felt bad leaving Chan to work on his own until the early morning hours.

Most of the time, they ended up not working anymore when the tiredness became too much, simply sitting sometimes in silence, sometimes conversing quietly for hours while they watched the expanse of the universe in front of them through the large windshield of the bridge.

Coincidentally, though, it was on one of the rare occasions that they were actually working still in the early morning hours because they had found a rather interesting fact they were investigating further, that Changbin found them and decided enough was enough.

“It’s four in the morning; four! And neither of you has slept more than two hours a night for days now! Get out of here!” He huffed indignantly at the pair, who had the decency to look at least a little sheepish. They didn’t back down, though.

“Not today, Binnie, we found something that we need to look into…” Chan tried, but he faltered under Changbin’s glare.

“It won’t run away and if it wasn’t important until now it can wait until you have slept for at least six hours! Now go, shoo, get off my bridge!”

Chan and Woojin gave him looks saying “ _I’m_ the captain” and “This is _my_ ship” respectively, but he ignored them thoroughly, his glare not wavering. When neither of them budged, he leaned to the closest control desk and with a few rapid taps that neither Chan nor Woojin could follow or interrupt for they were so fast, every single one of the monitors and desks on the bridge went dark.

The pair complained loudly, doing their best to revive the panels, but nothing worked, and they quickly deduced nothing they could try would work, if Changbin’s satisfied half-smirk was any indication.

With no other option, they opted to give in, but they both knew neither would find sleep now with that exciting discovery unresolved. And so, they wound up in Chan’s cabin, together, to discuss their find and what they had so far, using their personal links to research as much as they could until they eventually fell asleep on Chan’s bed, and each other.

Later into the morning that day, when Chan woke up, he thought it must be Seungmin sleeping next to him, until he realized it couldn’t be. When Seungmin fell asleep in bed with him, he either curled up on himself, back towards Chan, or curled against Chan, when the nightmares had been particularly vicious and he cried himself to sleep in Chan’s arms. Never did he curl around Chan, surrounding him and holding him as securely as he was being held right then.

For the fraction of a second Chan’s still sleep-hazy mind decided this situation was a reason to panic, until the hold around Chan’s middle tightened and the one holding him mumbled something unintelligible. Neither of that was what calmed Chan, but the waft of a faint scent he had subconsciously begun to identify as Woojin’s registering with him did; subconsciously, too, because it still took him a whole minute to consciously figure out it was Woojin holding him, when he finally remembered the events of the night before.

Once he figured that out, he still didn’t know how to react. Should he try to extract himself out of Woojin’s arms and scoot over to the other side of the bed? Not that there was much of an other side on the narrow bed, but still… But that would wake up Woojin, wouldn’t it? Or should he just try to remain as still as possible and pretend he was asleep until Woojin woke up and see what Woojin would do, and then go along with it?

“Stop thinking so loud, I can almost hear your mind whirring.” Woojin’s gruff morning voice came from behind him, causing his thoughts to come to a screeching halt when Woojin adjusted his hold, just to freeze mid-action.

“Do you want me to let you go?” Woojin asked, then, uncertainty lacing into his question.

Chan shook his head no before he could consciously process Woojin’s question, but he didn’t find there to be much to process when Woojin hummed contently and finished adjusting his hold.

They lay in silence for a while, until Woojin interrupted it again.

“You smell spicy… Why did I never notice that before? It’s the kind of spice that smells like it should make you sneeze, but then it doesn’t…” His words were muffled as he buried his nose against the back of Chan’s neck, tickling him. Chan giggled softly at the sensation, and Woojin stilled.

“Ah, so you _are_ still awake… Wasn’t sure there for a moment.” He chuckled, and Chan decided it was time to finally turn around. Their eyes met once Chan settled down, still encased in Woojin’s hold, but neither spoke as they held gazes.

This was by far not the first time Chan had woken up with someone else in his bed, both before and after he’d left Beire. He had shared a bed with friends and cousins on sleepovers on countless times, with Changbin and Jisung every other night before joining Woojin and Seungmin, and with Seungmin more often than he remembered to count lately. And still, on all those times, he had never felt quite like this upon waking up. There was something about the atmosphere in the room, hanging between and around them, that was so very… He couldn’t really define it. It was tense, but at the same time just right; comforting, almost. And yet, Chan couldn’t stand the silence for much longer.

“Hey.” He broke the silence, and even though it was a word as inconsequential as they come, it brought a smile to Woojin’s lips.

“Hey…”

And there it was again, the silence.

“So… We fell asleep here, huh…?”

“Mhmm…” Woojin’s smile grew as he hummed his answer.

“Together.” Chan desperately needed them to keep talking, but he had no idea how he should go about that with his brain still mushy with sleep and the little part that was properly awake fully focused on the way Woojin was holding him.

“Yep.”

“…ok.”

“Ok?”

Ugh, why was this so hard?! Chan couldn’t for the life of him find a way to answer Woojin properly. He didn’t even remember what he’d meant with his ‘ok’ mere seconds ago. And yet, he found himself repeating it as answer in the end.

“Ok.”

Woojin chuckled, his gaze knowing as if he could read Chan’s thoughts, and he lifted one hand to brush Chan’s sleep-mussed curls out of his silver-colored eyes, smiling fondly.

“I’m glad you find it ok that I slept here, with you. I quite enjoyed it, myself. I haven’t slept as well as last night -well, this morning- in a while. And waking up with you right here is also a bonus.”

Chan felt his mouth run dry and he swallowed thickly; a movement Woojin followed with his gaze, his smile widened by the time his eyes found Chan’s once more.

“I-… You-… Yes. I… You can always, uh, sleep here, if- when you want to. I… I don’t mind, and I, uhm, I do like, uh-…”

Woojin interrupted Chan’s uncoordinated rambling with a small laugh, running his hand through Chan’s curls once again and letting it come to a rest at the back of his head, letting the tighter curls there wrap around his fingers.

“Channie… can I kiss you?”

Chan’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt for a second time that morning, and his breath left him in a surprised gasp. And still, his mouth was way ahead of his conscious mind.

“Fuck, yes, please!”

Woojin laughed quietly again before closing what little space was between them and sealing Chan’s lightly parted, plump lips with his own.

Chan merely reacted, his eyes fluttering shut as he leaned into the kiss. It was sloppy, their respective positions not allowing for the right alignment of their lips, the way Chan leaned in almost desperately a little too forceful, and Woojin’s surprise at Chan’s eagerness causing him to laugh into the kiss, but to them, it was perfect.

It would have been even more perfect if the door to Chan’s cabin wasn’t suddenly thrown open.

“Hey, Chan, I went through what you were analyzing last night and- Oh for fuck’s sake, gah! Put a sock on the door or some shit next time! What did I ever do to deserve this?! Every fucking day…!” And the door slammed shut again.

Woojin and Chan, having jumped apart in surprise at the intruder, stared at each other in bewilderment before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

“You recon he’s walked in on Jisung and Minho before?” Woojin asked amidst giggles once he calmed down slightly.

“Absolutely. He’s been complaining about how they seem to do nothing but suck each other’s faces when in their room almost every day in the last week.”

“I would feel bad for him, but if that hasn’t taught him to knock and wait for an answer before barging into other people’s rooms yet, he kind of deserves it…”

Chan laughed at Woojin’s ruthlessness, but he had to agree. The mood for more kisses was gone, though, and they decided to get up. After all, Changbin had had something seemingly important to tell Chan, too, and he needed to know what it was now.

Upon entering the bridge, they could hear Changbin complaining loudly to Jisung.

“I need you to come up with a device of some kind that recognizes when there’s more than one person in a cabin and that flashes a giant ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door to save me from having to walk in on couples all the time!”

“Have you ever heard of the good old art of _knocking_? So easy, yet so effective…” Jisung snorted mockingly in answer just as Woojin and Chan joined them.

Changbin glared at him, and at Chan, too.

“I would, if it didn’t take so long to fully process that the two biggest losers in the entire universe actually managed to score themselves someone to snog regularly, making it _necessary_ to knock!”

With an exaggeratedly deep sigh, Chan came up to Changbin, passing an arm around his shoulders and hugging him to his side.

“Jealousy is a bitch, isn’t it, Binnie? I’m so sorry for your suffering…”

Changbin tried to shrug Chan’s arm off him, unsuccessfully.

“Fuck off…” He mumbled, and Chan only pulled him in tighter, laughing, when Changbin gave up his struggles.

“Anyway, what was it that you wanted to tell me so urgently earlier?” Chan asked then, letting Changbin go.

As soon as he was free, Changbin turned around to the control desk, pulling up some of the documents Woojin and Chan had been analyzing the night before, along with some others they hadn’t seen yet.

“Ah, yes… I had totally missed it that I’d retrieved leaked data from their resource network… It’s no secret whatsoever that slavery is one of the Alliance’s most reliable forms of income, but with what you dug up, I was able to trace back some individuals’ way into it and found evidence for a whole system of _illegal_ trafficking, covered up by their legal one. I mean, considering my own history, I obviously knew about part of it, but at least I got sold by a prison, scum of the society that I am… But this…”

Changbin pulled something up, making it appear on the big holo-screens for everyone to see. It looked like a web at first, until Changbin selected one of the intersections in the outer periphery of the net and zoomed in, then followed the connections.

“I’m going to show you an example here. This kid, they’re Vouguese. Vouga is an active member-planet of the Alliance and has been since shortly after its founding. This kid has no criminal record, no travelling history, no connections to anyone on other planets or even anyone involved in any sort of criminal activity. In fact, they have almost no connections at all; they’re an orphan, and were set to leave the orphanage and enroll in higher education on the first of the first month of this year. They did indeed leave the orphanage, but never made it to the school. Instead, they appeared… here.” He pulled up a still of a page that looked like some sort of market.

“They were sold.” Woojin voiced what they all deduced.

“They were. Not by the orphanage or the school, though. Both remain ignorant about their whereabouts. The orphanage staff think they are safely in school, the school knows nothing about their existence. Since there are no relatives and next to no contacts, no one misses them. They simply slipped off the radar, and appeared on the black market for exotic slaves.”

“Aren’t Vouguese known for some kind of extraordinary power, too…?” Jisung mused, and it was Woojin who answered.

“It’s not really a power, it’s actually… the lack of a defined sex. They can choose which of the eight sexes of their species they want to present as according to need or preference, or if to present as any of those at all.”

“Which makes them pretty exotic since pretty much all other known humanoid species present in at most four different sexes, not counting intersexes, and none of them have the ability to change them at a moments notice, as many times as they want to in their life.” Changbin added, before calling their attention back to the screen.

“This kid was since bought and sold again since appearing in these files, but has already disappeared from the new owner’s records again, too, with the remark ‘disposed of’... And they are by far not the only one. The mortality and disappearance rates among exotic slaves are exorbitant, considering they officially don’t exist in the first place and therefore there is no one to police them.”

They stood in silence for a moment, before Chan broke it with barely contained rage in his voice.

“They sell their own people, now. It’s not enough that they destroy entire planets, enslave and abuse weaker species and those they deem a threat of some kind… Now they do the same to their own species, to their own people, to those they swear to protect… By Belize, I am so sick of this…”

The rage left Chan weak for once, and he plopped down in the closest seat, burying his face in his hands. The other three shared looks among each other in heavy silence, until Woojin moved to stand next to Chan, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“They won’t get away with it forever, Chan. They won’t. There are so many people working on so many ends to bring their whole system to collapse… It won’t go on forever. And this… this is another of those ends that needs to be worked on, another leg to saw off to destabilize them.”

There was something in Woojin’s voice that struck a chord in Chan and made him look up, into his eyes, finding them glinting with a certain sparkle that indicated there was more to his words than what he had actually said.

“You… you are thinking of something, aren’t you. There is a strategy forming in your head. You have a plan.”

Woojin shook his head slightly but a grim smile tugged on the corners of his lips.

“Not quite yet, but yes, I am thinking of something. I need more information, though, before I can come up with something solid.” He looked up and at Changbin, then at Jisung, and lastly, to the door, in lieu of the two absent crew-members. “That is, if you even want to pick up this loose end, and not leave it to someone else while we continue what we have been doing so far…”

Chan sat up straighter, Woojin’s determination helping him pull himself together, too. He reached over to the desk closest to him, finding the general intercom for the ship and calling for Seungmin and Minho, asking them to the bridge immediately for an important meeting.

They waited in somewhat tense silence for the other two to arrive, but thankfully, they didn’t take long, and Changbin caught them up on what they had missed.

“I called you up here, now, because… Because I want to know if you’ll be ok with it if we pursue these leads further, so Woojin can elaborate a plan on what we can do to -if not end- at least put a damper on this business.” Chan concluded once Changbin finished.

“So… if we decide to try to understand more about this slave business… Does that mean no more raids?” Jisung was the first to question, after a moment in which they all thought about the prospect of changing their goals.

Chan couldn’t answer Jisung’s question, so he looked at Woojin for help.

“I can’t promise that. We might need to raid in order to obtain more information, but I’m sure there will be other situations where we will have to use other methods, too, where plain violence and destruction won’t help us further. As for the next stage, after I have all the information I need… I can’t tell you anything about it yet, since I have no idea myself what it is that we would have to do. If need be, we might even have to leave the next stage to someone else, someone more experienced and with access to better resources than us.”

“Regardless of whether we will keep raiding or not, this is most likely going to be a lot more dangerous for us than redistributing cargo. From what we learned so far, the Alliance hires external crews to do the dirty jobs of finding, isolating and kidnapping people. Those crews have to be ruthless, uncaring and unfeeling, to go through with their jobs, and they won’t hesitate to kill; and they’ll most likely be better at it than your run-off-the-mill Alliance forces.” Chan added after Woojin finished.

“I… I honestly haven’t been feeling like we are doing that much of a difference lately, with what little cargo we steal and deliver. There are others… others who do much, much more, faster and more efficient. Maybe… Maybe it’s time for us to do something else. Something where we can make more of a difference, even if it’s not immediate, but long term. And even if it’s more dangerous.” Seungmin spoke up once he let his brother’s and his captain’s words sink in, and Jisung nodded along with him.

“I agree. I’m not just saying this because I’m iffy about raiding, since apparently that won’t change. But… If we could somehow make a bigger difference, even if it’s more dangerous, I’m ok with that.”

While the two youngest seemed more than on board with the idea, the rest was more hesitant; even Woojin and Chan. Woojin mainly because Seungmin had inadvertently reminded him that he would be in the way of greater harm, and that would never sit well in Woojin’s stomach.

Chan just wanted to make sure everyone was completely aware of what they were getting themselves into before he made any decisions.

“Really…? I need you to be completely sure that this is what you want, Sung. And everyone else, but especially you, Changbin, and… Minho, too, even if it’s not the exact same… I don’t want us running into and facing off slavers and learning more about the atrocities they do to hurt you in ways that put you in a place I can’t help you get back from…”

“I grew up in slavery, Chan…” Jisung reminded Chan with a quiet scoff, earning himself a bit of a glare from the captain that spoke of nothing but concern.

“Precisely!”

“I don’t think there is much we’ll get to see and hear of that I haven’t seen or heard of already. And, I really, really want to contribute in some way to help the poor sods that are still stuck in slavery; especially those in the unregulated one that have nothing protecting them.”

“I’m with Jisung on that one…” Changbin chimed in, even though he didn’t look quite as sure of his words as the Atalaian.

Chan couldn’t wipe the worry off his features and out of his heart, and his gaze travelled to Minho, who’d been quiet until then.

“What about you, Minho?”

Minho jumped despite the gentle tone Chan had used, clearly not expecting being addressed so suddenly.

“Me?!”

“Yes, you. I’d like to hear your opinion on this, too.”

Minho swallowed thickly and shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“I, uh… Well, does it matter? I’d be outnumbered even if I was against it…”

Chan directed a troubled frown at him.

“That’s not how it works, Minho. I’m not going to force anyone into doing something they don’t want to. If you are against us going this new path, we won’t do it.”

Minho inhaled shakily, but shook his head.

“I’m not going to be the one holding you back. You all want to do this, and… I’m not against it per se. It’s ok.”

Chan didn’t look convinced, and neither did Jisung.

“Min, we don’t have to go into this if you’re not completely fine with it…” Jisung assured him gently, but Minho shook his head again, stepping closer to Jisung and taking his hand in his, squeezing gently.

“No, it’s ok, really. I’ll be ok. Don’t worry about it…”

Jisung and Chan studied Minho’s features carefully, but he let them see nothing that could have been a final straw for them to decide against investigating the illegal slave business they had stumbled upon, and so it was decided.

Chan, Woojin and Changbin spent the better part of the day trying to figure out which loose thread to follow first, and ultimately setting course to a small, frigid exoplanet of a small, almost dying star that seemed like it could provide potential clues.

It would take them a few days to get there, even at their far over average travel-speed; days they spent honing combat skills, pilfering through more stolen documents, as well as searching for clues in the Rebellion’s database, but also lazing around and resting.

Somehow, Chan’s resting times seemed to coincide with Woojin’s more often than not, and most of those times, they decided to rest together. Their first unplanned sleepover was followed by more, definitely planned ones. It almost bordered a miracle that no one bothered to point it out, but Chan quickly became aware that they were indeed a topic of discussion behind his and Woojin’s backs. He didn’t bother confronting anyone because of it, though. Talk would soon grow old and be forgotten if he just ignored it; and it wasn’t like him and Woojin were engaging in any indecent, scandalous, never-heard-of-before activities together. Not that it would have been anyone’s business if they did, anyway, as long as it didn’t affect the rest of the crew and their plans and safety.

Eventually, they reached the planet, Sazes, landing under the guise of being merchants that had gotten off course after their navigation instruments had gotten damaged as they passed too close to a black hole, and by the time they had them fixed, they were too far out with not enough supplies to make it back to their home base. They were granted landing permission, as well as access to the market.

Due to the icy nature of Sazes, it was fully dependent on shipments from elsewhere to sustain the population, but contrary to many other planets the crew of the Esmerilhao had been to, the people there didn’t seem to be lacking anything. The settlement they landed in, a small town, was completely insolated and protected against the harsh outside nature of the planet, roads and all other connections between houses and facilities covered against the constant frozen nitrogen snow, and it looked like only the most advanced technology was used everywhere, from the buildings and infrastructure to day-to-day objects. Different kinds of food, exotic and standard, were available en masse, as well as just about every kind of luxury item along with bare necessities.

Chan and Jisung, the chosen ones for their reconnaissance mission, didn’t even have to fake their awe and wonder at the world around them, their curiosity passing off as genuinely naïve when they asked sales-people and passers-by alike about their world.

While not abrasive, the people they asked their questions to were still very guarded, and they didn’t find out much. They were marginally more successful after they went with Jisung’s suggestion to pretend he was Chan’s slave to give the residents the impression they were talking to a likeminded person when Chan asked questions, but only marginally.

All they managed to find out from a slightly more chattery, very old individual was that Sazes apparently was used as a trading point for valuables, though not what kind of valuables. Another, simply more careless marketender let slip that the planet played a big role in providing the rich and powerful within the Alliance with luxury goods, but after that they shut themselves up and hurried Chan and Jisung along.

The last piece of information, and probably the most valuable, they managed to gather was from a guard, who mistook Chan for someone else and asked him with a nod towards Jisung if he was all the merchandise he brought this time around. When Chan replied that he wasn’t merchandise but private property, but that he was looking to acquire more like him, the guard clammed up, realizing his mistake, and stammered something along the lines of “You’ll have to get in contact with the proper channels for that”. Chan expressed his disappointment, but as he and Jisung went on their way, they couldn’t help but notice the guard reporting the incident, and they hurried back to the Esmerilhao to depart immediately.

They weren’t held back, being granted lift-off-permission, and that they did as quickly as the Esmerilhao permitted.

It was evening by the time Woojin expressed that he felt like something was off. As soon as he did, Chan was on high alert, not keen on ever ignoring it again when Woojin expressed that he felt like that.

“Off? Off how?”

Woojin shrugged, running his hands through his hair as he kept staring at the desk in front of him.

“With Sazes…”

“Ok… In what way?”

Woojin sighed, leaning back without letting his gaze wander from the information on his desk.

“Well, aside from the obvious shadiness… The location. And I don’t mean the fact it’s located at the outermost border of the universes ass-cheek; that makes perfect sense for a business you don’t want people to know exists. Same with the icy nature; of course, shady businesses would choose a place to base on where no one suspects life is even possible. No, what I mean is… It feels like something isn’t right with the fabric of the universe around Sazes…”

At that, not just Chan came over, but Changbin, too.

“What do you mean?” Changbin asked, peering intently over Woojin’s shoulder at the charts on his desk.

“What I mean is… At what speed have we been travelling, Bin?”

“At about 1.2 universal light-speed…”

“Right, that’s what the ship’s instruments say, and what the fuel-consumption indicates, as well as everything else. That means we should have put a distance of around eight universal light-years between Sazes and our current location by now. But, looking at our current position…”

“That’s not even two light-years!” Chan exclaimed, finally getting at what Woojin meant.

“Wait, shit… Shit, shit, _shit!_ ” Changbin suddenly gasped, flying back to his own desk and starting to wildly pull up and close tabs as he tapped between them.

“Bin? What is it?” Chan queried, worried as he went over to his side.

Changbin shook his head, mumbling unintelligibly under his breath.

“Bin? Talk to me, please…!”

Changbin grit his teeth still furiously swiping between tabs, but still didn’t answer while his frustration grew. Eventually, he hit the edge of the desk in front of him with his balled fist, pushing himself back and running his hands through his hair messily.

“I can’t see it… I can’t do anything with what I have, I-” he stopped abruptly, whipping around to stare at Chan with wide eyes.

“Seungmin! And Minho; they could see it!”

Chan shook his head in confusion.

“See what?!”

Changbin didn’t answer him, opening the intercom and calling for everyone to come up to the bridge immediately.

“Changbin! Please, tell me what the hell is going on?!” Chan was starting to lose his calm, especially because it was Changbin who was freaking out; Changbin, who was their designated level-headed crew member when everyone else lost their mind.

A hand on Chan’s shoulder distracted him, squeezing gently and pulling Chan backwards a little until his back bumped softly against a solid chest.

“Calm down, Chan… I’m sure once the others are here Changbin will explain exactly what is going on to all of us; that way he won’t have to repeat himself multiple times, either.”

Chan groaned, untensing only slightly.

“I would still like to know what the hell is going on _right now_ , so I know what decisions to make!”

“I know. But trust Changbin to know what to do, too; better than you right now, since he actually has a clue what is happening. Don’t forget, he’s the brains on this ship; we’re all just muscle… Well, brain-muscle, sometimes, some of us…” He nudged Chan affectionately, who scoffed.

“Stop it. You’re not just muscle, either, Mr I-figure-out-strategies-with-all-their-possible-outcomes-based-on-entire-memorized-databases-in-point-two-seconds-while-picking-my-nose…”

Woojin laughed heartily, and it succeeded in relaxing Chan to some degree; at least enough not to snap at Changbin again until Seungmin, Jisung and Minho burst onto the bridge.

“What’s wrong?” Jisung panted, being the first one to come to a skidding halt next to the other three.

“I need Seungmin and Minho to check if we are being tailed by someone; my radar isn’t picking anything up, but that doesn’t have to mean anything, considering the technology they must have to be able to slow us down so much.” Changbin went straight to the point, leaving the rest of them lost and confused.

“W-what now?”

Changbin sighed, exasperated.

“We’ve been caught in a tractor beam ever since we left Sazes. We’ve barely made it two lightyears out of there. I’m fairly sure we are being tailed by someone, but none of our radars show anything; hence why I need Seungmin to check if there is someone behind or around us; with Minho’s help, to be able to see further.”

Stunned silence answered him for a moment, until Chan broke it.

“To quote you, ‘ _shit!_ ’’, indeed…!”

Changbin couldn’t help the ‘I told you so!’-look he gave Chan, who hastily turned to Seungmin and Minho.

“Can you two…?”

The two exchanged a look and nodded in almost eerie synchronization, before Seungmin reached out to take Minho’s hand in his. Minho closed his eyes as he focused, while Seungmin’s gaze unfocused as he used his powers to see beyond what was in front of him.

Chan and the rest of the crew waited with bated breath for any movement or word from Seungmin or Minho that could be any indication, but they got nothing until Seungmin eventually blinked his eyes back into focus.

“There is something behind us. Right at the very edge of what I can see with Minho’s help, too far away to make out what it is for sure, but definitely there.” Seungmin declared, and Chan’s heart almost fell out of his ribcage.

“Shit, ok… Ok. We… We got this. Changbin, is there any way to get out of their tractor beam?”

“Improbable. We’d sooner damage the ship beyond repair than be able to break out if we tried going faster, even with your powers; not to mention I have no idea how you would even use your powers against this… It may be energy, but I remember you once saying you have no influence on magnetic fields, and this is along those lines…”

Chan shook his head.

“That’s right, magnetism is not something I can influence… Ok, so if we can’t get out… Whatever it is coming for us, we need to prepare to confront them. I want everyone in their suits and armed with both long and short-range weapons as well as traps and anything else you might think can be of use and know how to handle. Seungmin and Minho, monitor their proximity as best as you can. Changbin, keep us on course and don’t do anything. Let them believe we haven’t figured out their presence or interference yet until we are all ready. Woojin, a strategy to fight them off in case we are boarded; which is very likely to happen. Jisung… I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to make sure you won’t have to fight anyone, but I can’t promise it won’t happen.”

One by one, they nodded as Chan addressed them and gave his orders, until he reached Jisung. Jisung looked a little pale, a little off, and very grim. When Chan addressed him, though, he looked up and his expression softened a little.

“It’s not your fault, Channie… I… I kind of expected this to happen eventually, just not… maybe not so soon…”

Chan stepped forward to pull Jisung into a tight hug.

“I know… I still wish you wouldn’t have to fight ever again. Stay with me, ok? Whatever strategy Woojin cooks up, we’ll make sure you can stay with me.”

Jisung buried his head against Chan’s shoulder for a moment, but then he pushed himself back a little.

“Thank you, Channie, but… You should probably stick with Changbin… I think he might need your protection more than I do… I have been training a lot…”

Chan never got to reply for Changbin cut into their conversation with what almost sounded like a growl.

“I can take care of myself quite well, thank you very much. My ass is not that easy to take down; as long as no one I care about is being held hostage. You stay with Channie, Sung. I’ll be fine.”

Jisung looked like he wanted to protest for a moment, but decided not to, ultimately. Chan ruffled his hair affectionately before letting go of Jisung.

“We got this. Let’s wait for what Woojin cooks up for us first, and then we’ll see, ok?”

With a quiet sigh, Jisung nodded, and they followed the others who’d gone ahead to get changed into their suits. They were just about halfway done choosing their weapons when Seungmin came rushing into the armory again.

“Chan, I think they are coming closer. I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think their image is becoming clearer.”

“Ok. Go to the bridge and keep Changbin up to date, tell him to keep monitoring their approach with what we have, until they show up on our screens.”

“Will do. Should I get Woojin, too?”

Chan shook his head no.

“Lets leave him alone to think unless it’s absolutely necessary to disturb him. He’ll come to us as soon as he has something planned.”

As soon as Seungmin left them, Chan went back to help Jisung with his weapons. The Atalaian was remarkably quiet; too quiet for Chan’s liking, and he only hoped Woojin would find a way to keep Jisung out of the thick of the confrontation when it came. The last thing any of them, but especially Jisung, needed, was for Jisung to freeze up in a battle situation.

Once all suited up and back on the bridge, it took a mere minute for Woojin to join them, too. He didn’t get to expose his plan to them just yet, though, since Changbin and Seungmin exclaimed simultaneously.

“They’re opening chase on us! And signaling to surrender!”

“Changbin, deflector shields! And full speed ahead!” Woojin answered immediately, earning confused looks from the rest of them. When Changbin took too long to do as instructed, Woojin took control of the desk himself. “Let’s pretend we are surprised and trying to escape. Let them think we’re scared of them…!”

“Oh… Are we not…?” Jisung croaked out quietly, and Woojin gave him a sympathetic look, but shook his head.

“No, we’re not. We’ll be fine, whereas they… Not so much. We’ll pretend we’re scared and trying to escape. It’s impossible to escape them, but they don’t need to know we know that. They’ll catch up and we’ll defend sloppily. They’ll shoot back at us and we’ll surrender; seemingly. Let them walk right into our trap…”

They listened closely as Woojin detailed his plan to them, but while it was a good plan, it wasn’t enough to calm especially Jisung’s nerves. He almost clung to Chan to keep from shaking as the two of them and Changbin waited in the bay for the crew of the other ship, likely slavers, to board them, after everything else had played out exactly like Woojin had predicted.

Chan and Jisung stood together on one side of the bay, while Changbin stood alone further in the back on the other side. Eerie silence filled the large hold, before it was interrupted by the ominous sound of the airlock hissing as it opened and allowed the intruders access to the Esmerilhao.

The slavers were heavily armed, just like Woojin had anticipated. With a startled cry, Changbin caught their attention before darting off into the hallway behind him. With a curse, Chan pulled Jisung with him down the hallway next to them, too, prompting the intruders to give chase to them.

“Three on Chan and Sung’s tail, two on Bin’s, two in the bay. Sung, split off to the right as soon as you can! Bin, weave towards the front!” Seungmin’s voice came over their suits’ communicators, and Jisung whimpered but did as told, running down the next corridor to the right. Two of the pursuers after him and Chan split off, running after him, while only one followed Chan.

“Only one after Chan. Woojin, hallway by the armory! Minho, Sung’s behind the second hold!”

“Gotcha!”

Chan sprinted around two corners, nowhere near as fast as he could, just as fast as he needed to not give his pursuer a clean shot but keep him on his tracks. After the third turn he skidded into the hallway of the armory and darted clean past Woojin, who fired at the pursuer as soon as they rounded the corner, stunning them before finishing them off with a clean strike of a short-sword.

“One down. Bin, lead yours back. Minho’s split one off Sung. Woojin, service way 2, Chan, fuel-hold!”

Woojin and Chan hurried off in opposite directions. As soon as Chan came close to the fuel-hold, he heard a blast go off, and a split second later Jisung came skidding past a corner. He ran past Chan, too, but his pursuer ran right into the web-bomb Chan threw at the ground behind Jisung, instantly getting tangled. Before they could process what was happening to them, Chan snapped their neck.

“Two down. The ones in the bay split up. One’s in the bay, the other on their way down service three. Bin’s coming your way on service one, Chan, still with two. Sung, split one off him on the fourth connection!”

Chan and Jisung parted ways again, heading towards where Seungmin directed them without missing a beat.

“Three down. Minho, take the one on service three. Jisung, turn back as soon as possible. Woojin, service two. Chan, wait in the second connection. Bin, lead them to Chan.”

Changbin was panting hard when he eventually ran past Chan. His pursuer ran into another of Chan’s web-bombs, but freed themselves instantly, leaving Chan no time to catch them with his powers while firing at them. They dodged the blasts expertly but missed the dagger Chan maneuvered behind their back to stab their shoulder. With a cry, they went down, and Chan didn’t hesitate to finish them off.

“They got me, Chan.” Changbin panted once the threat was over, Chan whipping around to where Changbin was leaning into a doorway, clutching his side.

“Shit, are you ok?”

Changbin shook his head.

“I think it’s mostly bruised, but I’m in no shape to run any further.”

Chan nodded quickly.

“Four down. Woojin, turn back! Jisung needs you! Service one, service one! Chan-”

“Bin’s out, I’ll get Jisung’s. Woojin, bay!” Chan interrupted Seungmin.

“Or that! Hurry the fuck up, though! Bin, can you move?” Seungmin asked, but Chan tuned out Changbin’s answer in favour of getting to Jisung as fast as possible.

He ended up barreling into him. The impact nearly sent them tumbling to the ground, but Chan managed to catch Jisung and use his momentum to swing him around, putting himself between him and his attacker. He had to use his powers to divert the blasts, making them fly into the walls around them as he got his bearings enough to fire at the other himself. His blasts trained to kill did little more than stun them slightly through their combat suit, but it was enough to give him time to use his powers to snap their neck.

Chan found himself panting, but his first instinct was to check on Jisung, who looked quite ruffled.

“You ok?”

Jisung nodded once.

“Yeah. I’m fine, they didn’t get me. How’s Bin?”

“He said he’s only bruised. Seungmin?”

“Five down. Minho, what are you waiting for? Bin is on his way up here.”

“I think something is wrong, I can feel powers that are not ours… Min, be careful…!” Minho spoke up, sounding winded himself.

“What?! Shit, Minho, where?” Chan was on high alert immediately.

“I can’t tell where or I would have told you already! Minnie, you haven’t seen anything?”

“N-no… I… I can’t see powers, I can only see people… What… Shit, Woojin, what’s going on over there?”

They all listened closely, but there was no answer from Woojin. The sound of blasts reverberated through the ship, but still no answer.

“Please, someone tell me that was fire from us…?” Jisung piped up anxiously when still nothing came over their channels for long seconds.

“Minho took out the sixth pursuer. Woojin is in the bay, but he’s not moving, and I can’t get any emotion or intent from him. Something is wrong!”

“I’m almost there; Min, where is the guy that was in the bay, the one Woojin went after?” Minho asked with a calmness that astounded them all.

“Still in the bay, as far as I can see; not moving either…!” Seungmin sounded close to panicking now.

“I’m thinking they are the one with the power, and they might not be where Seungmin sees them. Stay together and watch each other’s backs!”

Chan and Jisung exchanged troubled looks. Except from the two of them, everyone else was out alone on the ship right now.

“Minho?! Minho! What happened! I can’t see your signature anymore!”

Chan had to run to catch Jisung, since the Atalaian immediately jumped into action and started to run off as soon as he heard Seungmin’s call.

“Jisung, wait!”

“I’m ok, guys, I’m ok! I’m hiding my signature, I figured if they have the power to give a false signature, they might be able to see mine. I just want to be sure. Stay with Chan, Sung.”

Jisung huffed indignantly, but Chan saw him wipe quickly at his eyes, his bottom lip trembling as he must obviously already have feared the worst. He pulled him into a tight hug, hoping to comfort him while he scanned their surroundings.

“Changbin is with me now. Chan, are you coming up? I’d lock the bridge otherwise.”

“Do that, Min. We’re…” Chan stopped, catching Jisung’s imploring look and nod at the back of the ship, where the main bay was. “We’re heading over to the bay, too.”

“I suppose I can’t dissuade you from coming here, can I?” Minho sighed, and Chan shook his head, even though Minho wouldn’t be able to see it.

“It’s not like I have a choice. I’m sure I’m not exactly going out on a limb here when I say you do know your boyfriend and how stubborn he can be, Minho. And you might need the help.”

“Valid.” Minho conceded after a few seconds. Then, much quieter he added: “I’m at the bay now. The last guy is really still here. And so’s Woojin. He’s… just standing there, like frozen, while the other guy seems to be waiting. I’ll stop giving updates, I’m trying to sneak up on them and figure out what’s going on.”

The image of Woojin being frozen in place, for whatever reason, really didn’t sit well with Chan. Woojin was supposed to be kicking ass and taking names when there were enemies on the ship; if he wasn’t, something was most definitely wrong, and Chan would not have it.

“Let’s go, Sung!” He wouldn’t have needed to say anything, for Jisung was more than willing to follow him if where he was going was where Minho was.

*#*#*#*

In the meantime, Minho was hurrying around the outside of the bay, making his way to one of the doors they had barricaded before and that was situated behind where the slaver stood. He made quick work of the barricade, opening the door silently. He only hoped Woojin was really completely frozen so none of his facial expressions could clue the slaver in on Minho’s position, should Woojin see him.

“Your friends are feisty ones, aren’t they… Haven’t been caught yet…” The slaver chuckled, speaking to Woojin. Woojin didn’t answer, his expression neutral, but Minho could tell he wasn’t completely frozen since he followed the slaver with his gaze as he started walking around a little.

This was not in Minho’s favour, since if he decided to walk circles, that meant he would eventually turn his way and see him. Quickly and near completely silently, he closed the door he’d come through behind him, making a run for the nearest hiding spot. He moved as quietly as a cat, his movements fluid as he slid behind the stand of a control console, pressing himself into the cramped space just in time before the slaver turned around.

Unfortunately, the guy seemed to get bored with waiting, and pacing alone was soon just not enough for him; he started to explore the bay. Minho couldn’t move enough in his spot to reach any of his long-range weapons without drawing attention, and without knowing what exactly this guy’s powers entailed, he really didn’t want to attract his attention. Essentially, he was trapped in his spot, and he cursed their decision to deliver all cargo they had on board before this trip, for it left the bay empty and without better hiding spots, and the slaver without anything else to explore. Minho’s hiding spot proved to be pretty much the only thing worth exploring, and he was sure it would soon attract the slaver’s attention.

“I wish you would tell me what your species is… I know you are a rare one, but I can’t put my finger on it…” The slaver mused, approaching Woojin and running his finger along his jaw as he circled him. Woojin’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing. “You know, it would make things so much easier for you if you just told me and I didn’t have to go and run tests to find out. That’s always such a hassle; if you were a good boy and told me, maybe I could be swayed to make sure you are sold to a good owner… How does that sound to you?”

Woojin didn’t answer, not verbally, but to Minho, the look he gave the slaver spelled out the words ‘Fuck you’ in pretty much every known language. The slaver wasn’t fazed by it, though. In fact, he chuckled.

“You’re all always so proud in the beginning… It would be cute, if it wasn’t such a hassle for me. If only you knew what’s good for you…”

He patted Woojin’s shoulder, and Minho frowned. The way the guy kept touching Woojin, without him being able to do anything against it, didn’t sit well with Minho, and with every touch Woojin had to suffer through, he got angrier. If only he could simply blast the asshole’s head off his shoulders…!

Minho, despite already being forced into immobility to remain hidden, froze. But of course, he _could_ blow the guy’s head off… He could. From where he was sitting. He had the power, he could use it.

And still, he was hesitant to do so. I wasn’t easy, and it came with a harsh backlash, never mind the fact that he really, really despised doing _that_ to someone…

As he had to watch the slaver reach out to touch Woojin once again, though, he snapped. The slaver’s hand never made contact with Woojin’s skin, his face contorting into a confused mask of pain for a second, before he crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

Woojin stumbled, only just catching himself as he suddenly regained control over his muscles once again. He only took a moment to verify that the slaver was really not moving anymore, before heading straight to the console behind which he knew Minho was hiding. He was confused as to why the other wasn’t coming out of his spot with the slaver out of commission, and that confusion only grew when he found Minho curled up in the cramped space, cradling his head between his knees. He didn’t really know how to address him like that.

“How… What did you do? To him.” He decided to ask for now, and Minho peered up from his spot with as little movement as possible.

“Fried his brain. Made too many of his synapses fire at once. Brains can’t take that.”

“Oh. So… He’s dead?”

“Yeah.” Minho answered airily, closing his eyes and resting his forehead on his knees again.

“Ok… Why are you not coming out of there, then?” Woojin couldn’t help but wonder out loud now, intrigued by Minho’s peculiar behaviour.

Minho groaned in response.

“Headache.”

“I thought Chan said he managed to break down every last bit of the toxins from the fumes in your body that kept you from healing…” Woojin wondered, and Minho nodded, regretting the action immediately.

 “And he did. I’m fully healed. This has nothing to do with that. I always get these headaches when I do… that.”

“A-always? So, you did this before, and knew you’d… become like this.”

“Regrettably, yes.”

“And you still did it? To… To help me?”

Minho heaved an exasperated sigh.

“Obviously. Contrary to what you may think of me, I am not a callous jerk who would just stand idly by and let some random asshole fondle you against your will if I can help it. Now, can we please stop talking? My head is killing me!”

Woojin stared at Minho in shock, but before he could think of saying anything else, one of the formerly barricaded doors to the bay opened and Chan and Jisung barged in.

Jisung let out a distressed cry of Minho’s name once he spotted him, virtually flying past Woojin to fall to his knees next to him. Minho winced at the volume of Jisung’s voice, flinching, and Jisung hastily whispered apologies, cradling Minho’s head against him and running his hands through his hair soothingly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Headache? Come here… Oh, babe…”

Chan only took a second to assess that Minho was relatively ok and in good hands with Jisung before turning to fret over Woojin.

“Hey, are you ok? Did he do something to you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Chan…” Woojin reassured him, catching his hands in his own to keep him from patting him down, frantically searching him for injuries. “I’m fine. He didn’t do anything to me but keep me immobile. Said something about not wanting to ‘damage the goods’… Bastard. He took my weapons, though…”

Chan breathed a sigh of relief, his hands shaking in Woojin’s, who squeezed them tighter to reassure him.

“Hey, guys, I’m glad you are all well and that guy is taken care of, but, uh… There are five more on their ship, one of which is heading our way.” Seungmin interrupted their short moment of taking stock of each other.

“Alright. Jisung, help Minho out of here. Woojin, we need a plan to get rid of the slaver.” Chan ordered immediately, and Jisung started coaxing Minho into a standing position.

“I’ll take him to the bridge and then I’m coming back down, ok?”

“I’ll come with Jisung on his way back. Changbin can take the bridge. You’ll have to take care of this guy on your own, though, he’s almost there!” Seungmin chimed in through their communicators, and Chan could see how much that turn of events didn’t please Woojin. He gave him an almost imploring look, but Chan could only shake his head, and Woojin resigned himself to the fact there was nothing he could do to keep Seungmin out and away from all this.

“Fine… We need the body out of here, it’s too much of a red flag. Let them come in. Chan, you hide over there and come out to act as bait when I tell you; I’ll have your back!”

Chan gave a sharp nod before turning to lift the slaver’s body with his powers and throw him unceremoniously into one of the open hallways that couldn’t be checked from the side of the docking bridge. Woojin winced at the dull thud with which the body hit the floor again.

“Classy…” He remarked sarcastically, and Chan answered him with smirk.

“Effective!”

Woojin rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment further as he went to retrieve one of his blasters and his short sword that the slaver had stripped off him, before both of them headed to their hiding spots to wait for this new slaver to come in.

It didn’t take long before they did, and Woojin was so close to throw their plan to the wind and just shoot them in the back from where he stood, but refrained at the last second. There must be a reason why the slaver strutted into the open bay without checking their surroundings, whether it was because they were confident they were safe or just phenomenally stupid. He didn’t want to chance it, though, and so he gave Chan the sign to come out.

Chan came running into the bay, stumbled, and even shouted in faked surprise to get the slavers attention before heading right back down the hallway he’d come from. The slaver too the bait, starting to dart after Chan. It was what Woojin had waited for, and he shot them in the back.

Their suit absorbed most of the blast, but they still stumbled and fell, surprised by the attack from behind. Woojin ran out of his hiding spot, keeping his fire up to keep the slaver from getting up or defending themselves until he was close enough to finish them off with his sword.

As soon as he did, Chan stepped back out of his cover, raising an eyebrow at Woojin, who was wiping his sword clean on the back of the now dead slaver’s suit.

“And _that_ is supposed to be classy?”

Woojin gave him a haughty look and sheathed his sword once again, shrugging the scabbard onto his back afterwards.

“Whatever you do with a sword is _always_ classy.”

“Try explaining that to Jisung when he gets on your case about smearing blood all over the floor. He’s gonna make you scrub the decks for a whole week.”

Woojin wanted to protest, but he saw himself that it would have been futile.

“You are a bunch of ungrateful bastards…” he muttered under his breath, just as Jisung and Seungmin joined them. Both of them pointedly didn’t look at the dead body, focusing on Woojin instead.

“Two of the signatures I see on the other ship are in what seems to be a lower bay, and haven’t moved this entire time. Their emotional signatures also don’t look remotely close to what I’ve been getting from all the others, so my guess is that they are probably their prisoners. The other two remaining ones are on the bridge, though, and they have been moving around and are getting agitated. We should hurry to get to them before they get too suspicious… right?” Seungmin informed them, but looked for help to his brother in the end.

“Yeah… Their ship is their territory, and they’ll have an advantage there the same way we have on ours. We have to be careful.”

“Wait a second and I’ll have control over their doors. Once I do, hurry up to get to the bridge; I don’t know how good their programming and defense skills are and if they can counter my attack, or how long it’ll take.” Changbin chimed in, and Chan felt a bit of the tension in his muscles fall off him. With Changbin assisting them from the bridge, he already felt ten times better about their quest.

“Alright, you ready?”

“Ready when you are, Bin.” Chan confirmed when Changbin asked, and Changbin gave them the “Go!”.

They didn’t hesitate, Chan leading the way with Seungmin close behind him, looking out for any movement from the other people on the ship, Jisung following behind him and Woojin closing the rear, guarding their backs. They moved quickly, but suddenly Seungmin let out a noise of exclamation.

“One of them is leaving the bridge! Looks like they are heading down here!”

Chan had them all stop, exchanging a look with Woojin.

“Min, Sung, take cover. Chan, you act as bait and bring him to me?”

A glint appeared in Chan’s eyes and he nodded.

“Where to, Min?”

“He’s heading right towards us, but I think on the other side of this wall…?”

“I’ll find an opening!” And with that, Chan darted off. Woojin hesitated a moment longer to shoo Jisung and Seungmin back the way they had come to take cover there.

Chan found the slaver soon enough, but unfortunately, he made it impossible for him to run back the way he had come in. With a curse, Chan had to dive for cover and run down the hallway ahead of the slaver.

“Woojin! Chan had to run down the other way, he’s heading away from you!” Seungmin informed his brother, and Woojin felt his heart drop.

“Changbin, any help?” He shouted, starting to run after Chan and the slaver.

“Hang on, just a second, this ship is modified and no longer the same as standard models of it’s kind… Chan’s heading to the front, as far as I can tell! Don’t take the same hallway he’s in! Stay where you are and turn left as soon as possible. Chan, turn left as soon as you can, too!”

“There are no passages!” Chan panted, the sound of blasts going off and flying by coming through the communicator from Chan’s side.

“Chan!” Woojin exclaimed, fear bleeding into his voice.

“I’m ok! I just need a damn passage!”

“They put doors in front of all the passages! Chan, give me a location!”

“I have no fucking idea where I am and I can’t exactly stop to chat!” Chan shouted, and more blaster fire was audible.”

“Give me anything you see!!”

“Fire-breaker?! What the hell, Changbin-”

“Gotchu! Keep going! Third next door on your left!”

Chan ran, but he had to cross through the open to get to the door. He slammed into it with all his weight, bruising his shoulder on the hard metal, but it opened when he pushed the button and he stumbled through. He kept running, the hallway bending around a structure in the middle and giving him temporary cover.

“Woojin, stop! You’ll run past Chan! There has to be a door on your right…!” Seungmin interjected, and Woojin dug his heels into the ground to stop. He saw the door and yanked it open, just as Chan came running around the bend and towards him. Woojin lifted his blaster, aiming behind Chan, but when the slaver rounded the corner and Woojin fired, his blaster clicked through; he was out of ammunition.

Woojin didn’t hesitate, dropping the blaster and tearing one of the black Velcro strips from around his right arm. It came off easily, and with a swift motion, Woojin tore a small metal wire out of it before throwing it behind Chan, right at the slaver.

On instinct, they rose their arms to deflect what was thrown at them, in the exact same moment Chan reached Woojin and Woojin wrapped his arms around him, spinning him and using the momentum of Chan’s run to propel them both into the hallway behind him where they hit the ground. And not a second too soon, since the Velcro strip Woojin had thrown was actually so much more than that. Upon impacting on the slaver, it set off a violent detonation that rocked the entire ship.

Woojin and Chan were lucky that the force of the blast threw the heavy metal door Woojin had just opened shut behind them before blowing it off it’s hinges and into the hallway where they lay; thankfully, it imbedded itself in the wall and stayed there, not hitting them. Still, debris rained down around and on top of them, hitting mainly Woojin, who’d come to lay on top of Chan, so while Chan took the brunt of the fall, Woojin shielded him from the worst of the explosion.

Everything happened so fast that it took Chan a moment to understand what was going on. When he finally registered that Woojin was laying on top of him unmoving, panic kicked in.

“Woojin! Wooj, Jinnie, talk to me! Oh Belize, Woojin!”

Woojin grunted softly, retracting his arms from around Chan and propping himself up to stop crushing him under his weight.

“I’m ok, Chan, I’m ok, don’t worry. What about you?”

Chan nearly screamed in relief, tears shooting into his eyes and his hands flew up to cup Woojin’s face. Quickly, so quickly Woojin would have missed it if it hadn’t also been so intense, Chan pressed his lips to Woojin’s in a desperate kiss before pushing him off.

“Never, ever do that again, you jerk!”

Woojin clambered to his feet, helping Chan up, too. Chan didn’t want his help, but his body reacted automatically to the outstretched hand, taking it.

“Do what? Blow up a guy out to shoot your head off your shoulders?”

Chan huffed indignantly and Woojin felt Chan’s powers hit him in the chest, though almost gently, afraid to hurt him.

“No, put yourself between me and a blast! I could have shielded us both!”

Woojin pulled Chan closer with the hand he was still holding after helping him up, and wrapped his arm around his waist, hugging him shortly.

“You didn’t even know there was about to be an explosion, and I had no time to explain…”

Chan hit Woojin’s chest with his hand now, curled into a fist.

“We need to discuss your methods, Kim Woojin! I stand by what I said: never put yourself in harm’s way for me again!”

“I can’t fucking _believe_ that they just almost got blown to pieces and the first thing we hear from them is them bickering like a fucking old married couple! That’s it, I vote we leave their annoying asses behind and elect a new captain and first mate!” Jisung interrupted them via the communicators, and Woojin and Chan froze at his tone, which sounded like he had been crying.

“Sung? Minnie? Are you two ok?” Chan asked quietly.

“No, you assholes! We thought we just lost you when the explosion went off and you wouldn’t answer!”

“I’m sorry, Sung, we didn’t hear anything, the suits must have rebooted after the beating we took. What I meant is are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes, we fucking are! How dare you do this us? I don’t even know why I care so much about you when you do this to me-”

“Jisung!” Chan interrupted Jisung’s angry tirade, and the Atalaian became serious, but his pout was still evident in his voice.

“No. We’re ok, the blast just shook us through a bit, but we didn’t get injured.”

Chan and Woojin breathed simultaneous sighs of relief.

“Thank Belize… Ok, since we kind of just loudly announced our presence to the remaining occupants of the ship, lets finish this as quickly as possible. Min, are you sure that the two in the cargo hold are prisoners?”

“About ninety percent sure. They are afraid more than anything right now and still haven’t moved. If they were part of the crew, they would surely have come check what all this is about by now, just like the guy from the bridge.”

“The one from the bridge is on their way down here?!” Chan exclaimed, and they could almost hear the eyeroll in Seungmin’s answer.

“Of course, they are. What did you expect?!”

Seungmin had a point, and Chan knew it.

“Ok. Woojin and I will take care of them. You two, go check on the supposed prisoners. Be careful in case they aren’t prisoners, but break them out if they are, and take them to the Esmerilhao as fast as possible.” Chan ordered, then took Woojin’s hand in his and made to pull him into cover, hoping the remaining slaver wouldn’t find them immediately, so they could ambush them instead.

Woojin barely made it three steps before he stumbled, his knees giving in under him, and Chan had to catch him.

“Woojin!”

Woojin held onto Chan tightly, his face contorting into a grimace.

“I might -possibly- have gotten hit by more than I first thought…” He admitted quietly through clenched teeth.

“For fuck’s sake, Wooj…!” Chan could feel the adrenaline rising in himself again, followed by rage as he saw the pain etched into Woojin’s features, but he was still as gentle as it was in any way possible as he helped Woojin into a corner that would cover him.

As soon as that was done, he had to leave Woojin behind, hoping to lure the last slaver as far away from Woojin as possible. Chan was past being careful now, with the anger coursing through his veins red and hot. Three members of his crew were injured in one way or another, and that was unacceptable to him.

He started reaching out with his powers, trying to find a shift in energy that indicated the last slaver’s presence. He was nowhere near even a fraction as good as Seungmin in his ability to sense others around him, he wasn’t even half as good as Minho, but for a few dozen meters, his powers worked just fine in pinpointing the location of other beings.

It was a good thing he reached out with his powers like that, finding the slaver -the captain of the ship, apparently- before they found him. As soon as he found them, he couldn’t hold back, though, channeling all of his powers in their direction and slamming them into the closest wall. They never saw it coming, and had no time to defend themselves.

Chan ran to find them, but he was so angry he had almost completely lost control over his powers, and the captain was already pretty roughed up by the time Chan reached them. Seeing them, the culprit of his crew’s pain, was the last straw, and his anger boiled over, his powers snapping fully; and so did the captain, in the hold of Chan’s powers. They didn’t even get a chance to plead for mercy or anything. They were simply crushed by the invisible force holding them, and dropped like a ragdoll once Chan realized they were no longer alive.

Chan was almost disappointed by how quickly he’d been done with that captain -unintentionally, no less- but at least that meant he could get back to his own ship sooner than expected.

“Sung, Minnie, how is it going?” He asked, turning on his heels to go back to Woojin without sparing the captain another glance.

“All good, no complications. The two down in the cargo hold are slaves. We’re on the way to bring them to our infirmary, for now.” Jisung filled him in, and Chan hummed to show he’d listened.

“You do that. I’m helping Woojin over and then I’ll get started on clearing the bodies off our ship. Try to be quick if possible, so we can leave this forsaken vessel far behind as soon as possible.”

“Aye, captain!” Jisung saluted, and Chan sighed quietly. He didn’t say anything to that, trusting Jisung to know what to do and that he’d ask if he needed help. He himself had someone of his own to help for now.

Said someone was already on his feet by the time Chan arrived next to him.

“You should have been resting, I had it under control!” Chan exclaimed as soon as he saw him, and Woojin shrugged.

“I’m sure you had, but for a moment there I thought you’d crush me, too. And I don’t like sitting down when there’s enemies around out for my ass!”

Chan couldn’t really argue with that logic, but he still slipped next to Woojin, passing his arm around his shoulders and putting his own around Woojin’s waist. Immediately, Woojin leaned a good portion of his weight onto Chan, confirming Chan’s fears that Woojin really wasn’t as fine as he was trying to make Chan believe, and his worry spiked.

“Chan, I can feel you freaking out… Stop. I’ll be fine.” Woojin tried to reassure him after they’d only taken a few steps. Chan sighed, though, shaking his head.

“I can’t stop now. I’ll only be able to stop worrying once I’ve made sure you are really ok, and healed everything I possibly can to make you feel better.”

Woojin rolled his eyes, but his protests were minimal and fell on deaf ears, so he quickly gave up on them, simply focusing on getting back to the Esmerilhao as fast as possible.

They met no one until they made it up to then bridge, where Changbin came running to help Chan with Woojin.

“No, I can wait, go get rid of the bodies and let’s get out of here first, please…” Woojin pleaded with Chan when he moved to start healing Woojin. Chan opened his mouth to protest, but Woojin clamped a hand over his mouth before he could even utter a single word.

“No, Chan. Go. I’ll be fine. Just get us out of here as soon as possible.”

Chan was reluctant to let go of Woojin, and when he did, his first look was over to Changbin. The small human shook his head at Chan’s questioning look, answering to Chan’s unspoken question.

“I’m ok. Seungmin helped me with an ointment that did wonders for my bruises. I barely even feel them anymore. Don’t worry about me.”

Chan turned to the last person on the bridge, Minho, but he shook his head, too.

“I’m ok. Might have taken a bit of an overdose of painkillers, but my head is fine now. Well, at least what I can feel of it... What the hell do they put in these kinds of drugs?!”

Chan was sure the question was purely rhetoric, and glad for it, too, since he didn’t know an answer. Either way, Minho was probably too out of it to fully register whether Chan gave him an actual answer or not, anyway. He made a mental note to help him get the excess painkiller out of his body later, too, but for now he’d heed their collective wishes to simply clean up the Esmerilhao, so they could leave. Everything else, they’d see to later.


	17. Kidnaping Slaves

By the time Chan was done dragging the slavers’ bodies back to their own ship, healed Woojin and fussed over Changbin and Minho enough, he was exhausted and barely managed to drag himself down to the crew’s quarters’ deck. There was nothing he wanted more than fall into his own bed and sleep the tiredness that weighed his bones down like lead off, but his day wasn’t over yet. With heavy steps, he dragged himself towards the infirmary, just to be met with Jisung and Seungmin halfway there.

“Channie? Are you on the way to the infirmary?” Jisung asked, already guessing his intentions. Chan merely nodded.

“I feel like you should rather go to sleep, if you don’t want to join those other two on a cot in there… You’re this close to passing out yourself…!” Seungmin frowned in response, holding up his hand with barely a millimeter between his forefinger and thumb. Jisung nodded, agreeing.

“Yeah… You don’t look too good, Chan. And they are asleep now, anyway. We took care of them; they didn’t have any major injuries, just a few minor bruises, a little dehydration and some exhaustion. Nothing a good night’s sleep, a healthy meal with a tall cup of your tea and some ointment won’t fix.”

Chan frowned slightly, tilting his head.

“You sure…?” He wouldn’t mind at all not having to deal with the newcomers right now, if he was being completely honest with himself.

Jisung hummed, stepping forward to pass an arm around Chan’s shoulders and turn him around, steering him away from the infirmary.

“Absolutely. Go rest up; there’ll be plenty of time for you to meet them tomorrow. Now what we all need is rest, more than anything. You included.”

“If not the most, out of all of us.” Seungmin chimed in.

Chan sighed softly, giving in easily to their attempts at persuading him. In his tiredness, the clear signs of relief both Jisung and Seungmin showed completely went over his head, as well as the knowing look they shared between them.

He was half asleep on his feet by the time Seungmin and Jisung delivered him to Woojin, who was just making his way to Chan’s cabin, too. Woojin took it upon himself to carry Chan inside, leaving Jisung and Seungmin standing in the hallway.

“It’s really for the best he didn’t find out yet…” Jisung whispered quietly, and Seungmin nodded in agreement next to him.

“Yeah… if it was up to me, I’d keep it from him for a couple more days, too…”

Jisung shook his head slowly.

“I’m kind of scared what it will do to him, too, but we can’t do that. Tomorrow morning, maybe after breakfast at the latest, he needs to find out.”

Seungmin grimaced, but nodded worriedly.

“I know… It’s just…”

Jisung passed an arm around Seungmin’s back, hugging him to his side.

“There’s no way around it. We’ll just have to be there for him.”

*#*#*#*

It was after a pretty late breakfast that Chan decided it was time to go visit the two prisoners they’d taken from the slavers’ ship. By then, so Jisung informed him, they had already been moved out of the infirmary and given cabins of their own, to which he showed Chan.

Chan knocked on the first door Jisung showed him, a tentative “Come in” answering him.

Chan hesitated before actually going in; for some reason, he felt like something was waiting for him that he wasn’t prepared to deal with at all behind that door. He didn’t have a choice, though, not really, and so he did push the door open quickly to step into the cabin.

He was met with a pair of anxious looking eyes, set above possibly the cutest nose he’d ever seen and adorable, pouty lips, all framed by silky-looking, damp, greyish blonde hair with a greenish touch in a perfectly proportioned face. He was honestly taken aback by the beauty of the person for a moment, before he remembered his manners and shook himself out of his stupor.

“Good morning. I’m Chan. Bang Chan, captain of this ship.”’

The boy, who couldn’t be much older Jisung, judging by looks alone, stood up from where he was sitting on the bed, just to hesitate, clearly not knowing if he should sit, stand, or what to do exactly. He ended up settling for a hasty, deep bow, one that unbalanced him since he was standing on pretty shaky legs.

“Whoa there, careful! Are you ok?” Chan caught him when he was about to fall, helping him sit back down on the bed.

“Oh- oh, I’m sorry, sorry, I- Yes, I’m ok, I- Sorry!”

“Hey, it’s ok, you have nothing to apologize for, it’s ok. Are you sure you’re good, though? I’m a healer, too; if you’re hurt somewhere, I’m positive I can help you in one way or another…” Chan reassured him, offering his help, but he shook his head.

“I’m ok, I’m not hurt. Just a little dizzy, still, but I’ll be fine.”

Chan regarded him with a doubting look, but ultimately decided to trust his judgement and not interfere.

“Alright… If you find you do want my help at a later point, the offer remains standing; I’ll be glad to help you.”

He nodded bashfully, biting his lower lip slightly before answering quietly, without meeting Chan’s gaze.

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you…”

Chan’s heart melted a little at the boy’s adorable shyness.

“It’s nothing, you’re welcome. Now, may I know your name, too?”

His head snapped up, and he would surely have gotten up again if it hadn’t been for Chan putting a preemptive hand out over his shoulder to get him to sit down again if he really tried to get up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I- Hwang Hyunjin! My name’s Hwang Hyunjin.”

“Hwang Hyunjin...” Chan nodded, trying the name out on his tongue. “Well, Hyunjin -can I call you Hyunjin?- What have Jisung and Seungmin told you so far about where you are and why?”

“I- Yes, Hyunjin is fine. T-they told me this is a-... a pirate ship? But also, that-... that I’m free? But…” He looked confused and scared still, and Chan decided to pull the single chair in the cabin out to sit down and hopefully appear less threatening.

“What they told you is the truth, Hyunjin. You are free from now on; you may be trapped on this ship right now, in this very instant, but as soon as we dock somewhere, you are free to go wherever you want. If you have a specific place in mind, tell us and we’ll take you there, too.”

Hyunjin stared at Chan incredulously.

“But… Aren’t you… Aren’t you pirates?”

Chan hummed, tilting his head as if in thought.

“Well, yes, we are…”

“Then, why-... wouldn’t it make much more sense for you to s-sell me?”

Chan’s face darkened, but he didn’t let Hyunjin sense any changes in his mood.

“We may be pirates, but we aren’t slavers. Half of the members of my crew are former slaves; there is no way we would force that fate on anyone else."

Instead of clarifying anything, that only seemed to confuse Hyunjin more.

“Then… Why… why didn’t you just leave me- us, behind, on that ship?”

Chan sighed.

“We ended up killing all the slavers, and blew their ship up. You would have died there. And we may be pirates, but we don’t kill the innocent.”

Hyunjin nodded slowly, pensively, but worry bled from every single one of his pores.

“So, I’m really just… free, now?”

Chan nodded, smiling in relief that Hyunjin seemed to accept that fact.

“Yes, you are.”

For some reason, that seemed to only stress Hyunjin out, though.

“Ok… But… What does that mean for me? I… What- What am I supposed to do now? _”_

Only then did it dawn on Chan that Hyunjin might be someone who had no concept of freedom.

“Whatever you want. You are free to decide what you want to do with your life. To go wherever you want to, live wherever you want, get whatever job you want.”

Hyunjin stared at him as if Chan was talking in a language he didn’t understand at all.

“But… how?”

“How?” 

Hyunjin nodded, wringing his hands in his laps and a hint of underlying panic ringing through in his voice.

“I can’t do any of that. I don’t know any places where I would want to go. I have no way to get around on my own. No way to afford a living space. And I don’t know what I would even be able to work at, never mind how to get a job…”

Chan felt bad for the other; he couldn’t imagine how he must feel right now, but he knew he really didn’t want to stress the poor boy out.

“Hey, that’s ok… It’s ok. We’re not gonna throw you out there on your own, unprepared, you know. We would never do that to you. You don’t have to decide anything right now, you can take your time. And when you have an idea about what you want and need some help, we will help you. No one expects you to have your new life planned out overnight and to be ready to waltz out there just like that. You don’t have to do this on your own.”

Hyunjin lifted his gaze from the floor to give Chan a shaky look, confusion swimming in the unshed tears in his eyes, and he looked as if he wasn’t sure if he should believe Chan; but he desperately wanted to. Above all, he looked absolutely and utterly forlorn, though, and Chan’s heart squeezed painfully. Everything in him screamed to protect this adorable boy from the entire universe, even though he’d only just met him and knew nothing about him.

“You… really?” Hyunjin breathed out, and Chan answered him with a small smile.

“Really. If you accept our help, we’ll gladly help you.”

Hyunjin still looked sceptic, and then his face fell completely, immediately spiking Chan’s worry again.

“That’s… incredibly nice of you, but… But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live freely, anywhere… I… I’m a slave, I’m tagged, and- and everyone knows that no one of my species is free…”

Chan frowned at the dejected look on Hyunjin’s face, heart aching for him.

“I can remove your tag, Hyunjin. In fact, it’s one of the first things I’d like to do if you are going to stay with us, so we can’t be tracked. And, about your species… I don’t see-... I don’t see anything that makes you differ from pretty much everyone else on this ship, so, how…?”

Hyunjin perked up a little at the mention of Chan being able to remove his tag, but turned somber again when he brought up his species. He sighed deeply, looking around the cabin until his eyes fell on the tray with the remains of his breakfast, which Chan remembered Seungmin had volunteered to bring to their guests earlier. A still half-full jug of water stood on the tray, which was what Hyunjin was reaching out for. Under Chan’s confused gaze, Hyunjin poured a little bit of water into his hollowed hand, playing with it for a moment after setting the jug down and before showing his wet hands to Chan.

Chan’s eyes widened when he noticed Hyunjin’s hands were no longer pale and rosy, but had turned a distinct shade of greeny-blue, not to mention that fine webbing that had definitely not been there moments before connected the digits now.

“I’m Lagoan. We’re amphibious, and our appearance changes quite drastically in contact with water. I may not differ much from most other core Alliance species at first glance, but as soon as my skin comes in contact with water, I can’t hide my Lagoan nature anymore.” While he talked, more and more of the skin of his arms changed from rosy to greeny-blue, until his whole forearms shimmered in the foreign but nonetheless beautiful colour. 

Maybe due to a lack of water, the transformation stopped around his elbows, and started to recede again, slowly.

“That… Lagoan, huh… I’ve… I’m sorry, but I think I’ve never heard of your species before…” Chan stuttered, fascinated as he watched Hyunjin’s skin change colour, and possibly texture; it looked like it, but he wasn’t about to just reach out and touch to confirm his suspicion. 

“Quite possible… We’ve been enslaved for decades now, and I don’t even know if our original home planet still exists. Most of us are kept as workers on the algae farms on Nexe and Alvor, since we can stay underwater for long periods of time.”

Chan frowned, but unfortunately, he couldn’t say he was surprised by that new information. It wasn’t like it was rare that whole species were enslaved; see Atalaians and humans, for example. It was more the rule than the exception that humans were kept as slaves, and other than Jisung, there were probably only a handful of Atalaians that weren’t currently enslaved. What gave him pause was something else, though.

“Nexe and Alvor… Aren’t those those twin planets that orbit each other, where no one can decide which one is the planet and which the moon? With the crazy magnetic fields that make their atmospheres some kind of nasty?”

Hyunjin nodded.

“Yes. Their atmospheres are almost as thick as the water, which is why they keep us Lagoans to work there since we can still somehow breathe it. It’s exactly the environment that the algae need, though, so they don’t care about the toxic gases in the air and water that are slowly killing our species.”

Anger flashed across Chan’s face, but he quickly hid it. He didn’t want to scare Hyunjin.

“That is just… sick. Did you grow up there, too?”

Hyunjin shook his head.

“I was taken from the breeding pod on Alvor when I was about four years old and given to a collector in the Capital. I’ve had many different owners before I landed at the last one, five years ago, but I’ve never been back to Alvor, or Nexe. I’ve never even left the Capital, until now.”

Chan shook his head in disbelief.

“A collector? Really?”

Hyunjin just nodded, not at all fazed by the idea.

“Yeah… I’m… quite the curiosity, apparently. Even among my own species, if what I’ve overheard my previous owners say is true. I don’t know why, though…”

Chan choked up a little, honestly shocked that that was what Hyunjin would focus on and not the existence of collectors in the first place. But, having grown up with them, he supposed the concept really wasn’t anything special to Hyunjin. It was just him who needed to get used to the idea; he should have, already, considering the results of the research he’d been conducting with the others so far, slow as they were. He supposed it just hadn’t really sunk in as long as it had just been an abstract idea they’d been investigating, but now that he was confronted with someone who’d lived the reality of it, it all came crashing home.

“I… I don’t know what they could have meant, either, but I am sure you are special in many ways, Hyunjin. None of them warrant you being reduced to a collectible, though; that I am sure of.”

Hyunjin looked up, gentle surprise and some worry in his eyes, which Chan only now realized had changed from the dark brown they had been before to a vibrant green. Chan supposed it probably had to do with him touching the water, as they visibly started to fade back to brown while he was looking at Chan. 

“You’ll never have to go back to becoming a collector’s property, or anyone else’s, if you don’t want to and I can do anything to prevent it, Hyunjin. I promise.”

Hyunjin didn’t seem to believe it readily, but he hid the doubt in his gaze quickly, and nodded demurely instead.

“Thank you…”

Chan took a deep breath, his mind still struggling a bit to process that he was really in front of someone who’d come straight out of the wretched business he’d only recently stumbled upon and was trying to understand and undermine. All that was secondary in this moment, though.

“Anyway… First things first now… Your tag…?” Chan collected himself, and Hyunjin tensed slightly, but nodded.

“It’s wandered over the years. It’s around here, next to the edge of my shoulder-blade…” He indicated, pointing at a spot high up on the right side of his back.

*#*#*#*

It was a good while later when Chan was done extracting the tracking tag from Hyunjin. The process had left him tired and Hyunjin exhausted, so much so that the Lagoan was on the verge of falling asleep by the time Chan was done and left him to rest.

Chan felt like resting, too, but he had one more guest to meet and tag to extract before he could lie down for a nap… More likely than not, he would have a ton of other things to do before he got to rest, anyway, though.

There was no use wasting time with longing for a nap, though, so he made his way over to the other door Jisung had indicated him as one behind which they were housing a guest, and he was surprised to hear voices and even laughter when he approached it. Even more surprised was he when one of the voices he heard behind the door was undoubtedly Jisung. Try as he might, he couldn’t make out more than vague single words from what was being spoken on the other side of the door, but he wasn’t here to eavesdrop, anyway. 

Determined, he knocked on the door, politely waiting for a reply instead of barging in. No reply came, but instead, the door opened, revealing Jisung in the doorway. Jisung didn’t look surprised to see him, but he didn’t look thrilled, either. In fact, he looked as if he was dreading this moment, and swallowed thickly before he addressed Chan.

“Hey, Channie.” His voice shook.

Chan frowned, wondering what was going on, for Jisung, whom he’d heard laughing just seconds before, to look so serious now.

“Hey, Sung. Can I-”

He didn’t have to finish his question before Jisung stepped out of the way, indicating for him to step inside. 

Chan did, and he hadn’t taken more than two steps into the room when he froze in his spot, jaw dropping as he spotted the person Jisung had been talking to. For what felt like endless minutes but were in fact just a few painful seconds, he simply stared at the young man, before he sank to his knees and bowed deeply until his forehead touched the floor of the cabin.

“Your majesty.” 

His words were barely above a whisper, sounding breathless and forced in a way one would if they were struggling to breathe.

Unseen by Chan, the white-blonde man with the almost vibrant silver-blue eyes flinched, wrapping his arms around his middle as if forming a barrier between himself and Chan.

“Please, don’t… Please get up.” He mumbled, embarrassment in his voice as he couldn’t quite look at Chan on the floor.

Chan followed the request slowly, his limbs refusing to move with more than the bare minimum of coordination as he did so, completely shell-shocked. A million questions raced through his mind, but he seemingly couldn’t focus on just one. Still, he tried, willing at least his tongue to cooperate.

“Prince Felix, how-” 

The prince shook his head, though, interrupting him.

“Please, don’t.” He repeated. “I am no prince.”

Chan swallowed thickly, but shook his head in denial.

“But you-”

“There is nothing left to be a prince of; what good is that title then?”

The words burned in Chan’s heart, his soul, and behind his eyes, but he swallowed the painful emotions down.

“How did you survive?” He couldn’t help but ask, wanting to kick himself while his mouth was still forming the words, but they escaped him nonetheless.

Felix exhaled slowly, seemingly buying time.

“I wasn’t on the planet…”

“You… what?”

Felix’ eyes turned hard, though his hard stare wasn’t directed at Chan.

“I hadn’t been on Beire for well over sixteen years when-… By the time it died.”

Chan gaped at him, disbelief colouring every single one of his features.

“But- you were there, everyone saw you, at the festivals, and-”

Felix shook his head, though, looking pained as he did so.

“Actors, body doubles. I’ve been in Alliance ‘custody’ ever since I was scarcely more than two years old. As part of the peace treaty that should ensure that Beire never posed a threat to the Alliance.”

Of course, that bit Chan knew of, but he’d never thought-

“You’ve never been back to Beire?”

Felix shook his head.

“Never. From the few times my parents were allowed to call me, what they showed me and told me about, it must have been beautiful. As were they. But in the end, both them and Beire itself were always strangers to me. I never saw either for myself; not that I can remember.”

Chan found that unbelievable, having been so sure that he had seen the prince on many occasions, but of course, it made sense that it would never have been really him. It would have been a high risk for the Alliance to let their hostage back to his planet, which could turn on them at any given time had they known their prince safe…

“But, if you were in Alliance custody, how… How did you end up on-”

“On the slavers’ ship?” Felix finished for Chan when the captain seemed to be struggling for words. Chan nodded.

“‘Custody’ is a very loose term they use to describe what happens to people they want to keep an eye on. I’ve spent all my life in slavery, for lack of a better term. There are many high-ranking Alliance officials or family-members and friends of them who love to ‘collect’ specimens of rare or powerful species, and who are willing to do pretty much everything to be able to show off an enslaved prince in their collection…  My last owner was one of the most renowned collectors; his family, however, had no use for his collection and sold all of us, who made up his collection, off to anyone who’d be willing to take us at the first chance they got after he died, with no regards to who we were, why we were there or how much we were worth. They just wanted to get rid of us. That’s how Hyunjin and I both landed on that ship.” 

Chan could barely believe it, nodding along dumbly as he was reeling with the turns of events and the wealth of new information he was forced to process in the space of a few minutes. He was not just not the only survivor of his species, no; he had also managed to somehow have the crown prince of his dead planet land on his ship, whom his crew had rescued from a slavers’ ship. He didn’t know how to respond, what to say, how to act at all.

Thankfully, he was not left alone to handle the situation, since Jisung, whose presence he had almost forgotten in the meantime, was seemingly left completely unfazed by the fact that Felix was Beiran, a prince, an _enslaved_  prince, or whatever. 

“Well, anyway…” Jisung chimed in, bringing Chan and Felix’ focus to himself rather than allowing them to continue to only focus on each other. “I already told Felix that we are pirates, and a little of what we’ve been up to that led to yesterday’s run-in, and that he can stay with us. He can, right? And Hyunjin, too?”

Chan shook himself out of his stupor, or at least he tried to.

“I, uh- Thanks, uhm, yes, if- if that is what he -they- want…” His gaze wandered questioningly over to Felix, who nodded minutely.

“On my part, yes, I’d appreciate it. I wouldn’t know where else to go, right now. And, since you’ve been investigating the illegal slave trade business… I was thinking, maybe you could help me find and free a friend of me and Hyunjin’s?”

Chan nodded again, almost automatically, without even thinking about it.

“Uh, yes, sure…”

He missed Jisung’s momentary frown, which the Atalaian quickly hid again, his focus trained on Felix.

“We- we can do that. What kind of friend is he? I- I mean, is he, uh-...”

“He’s a slave, like me and Hyunjin. He was owned by the same collector we were, but he was sold somewhere in the Capital; he is one of the last of his species, and he has a very rare power that allows him to teleport objects, himself and others pretty much everywhere across the known universe and even time, to an extent. Our owner always took great care to make sure he didn’t fall into military hands, but I’m afraid he might now, and that would be disastrous; both for him and… possibly everyone who is against the Alliance.”

Chan inhaled sharply, for he could picture just why it would indeed be disastrous if the Alliance had someone with that set of powers in their hands.

“Yes, I see- I can see that. No, of course, we have to find him, and get him out! I’ll- I’ll see to it that we set course immediately. You- you’re welcome to explore the ship, as is Hyunjin. I’d just like to ask you to please stay out of any areas where you might cause more trouble than anything else, for all our sakes. Jisung, could you…”

“I’ll show them around, yes.” Jisung already knew what Chan was about to ask him, and he was more than willing to show the newcomers around, but still, he wasn’t able to wipe the frown that had settled on his face during Chan and Felix’ interaction off his face. Chan noticed it, now, opting to give Jisung a questioning look instead of asking him outright in front of Felix, but Jisung only shook his head minutely.

“I’ll be on the bridge if you need me…” Chan excused himself, awkwardly shuffling towards the door before diving out. Only once he was in the hallway did his body decide to start fully cooperating again, and he was able to make his way to the bridge relatively quickly. Once there, he stopped as soon as the doors closed behind him, exhaling slowly, eyes closed, as he collected himself.

“You good?” Came Changbin’s soft question, laced with concern.

Upon opening his eyes, Chan found Changbin in his usual seat at the control desk, but turned fully towards him and eyeing him with the same concern he heard in his voice.

“I-...” Chan broke off, shaking his head as he let his gaze fall back to the floor, words failing him.

“You’ve met our… guests, have you…” It was a statement more than a guess, and Chan nodded in confirmation.

Changbin sighed softly.

“Come here, Channie…” He coaxed gently, and Chan followed his request, letting Changbin catch him and deposit him in the chair right next to his once he was close enough. “How are you holding up?”

Chan took a deep breath, shaking his head.

“How do you think? I’m… I never thought I’d ever see another Beiran again, especially not- not _this one_. And, hearing how he grew up, even if just vaguely, finding him on a slavers’ ship, I-” He shook his head again, squeezing his eyes shut and covering them with a hand.

“Oh, Channie…” Changbin sighed, getting up from his own seat to squeeze himself into the same one as Chan, half sitting on his lap as he wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug. Chan sagged against him, letting his forehead rest against Changbin’s chest as a few tears slipped past his hold on them.

“I feel horrible… On one hand, I’m so happy I’m not the only one left, but on the other… He barely even knows anything about Beire or our species, and… and the reason why he survived, I shouldn’t wish that on anyone, but still I’m so relieved, I-” He broke off with a shuddering breath and Changbin hugged him tighter, running a hand soothingly through Chan’s hair as he cradled him to himself.

“It’s ok to feel relieved, Channie. You’re not a bad person for feeling like that. You loved your planet and your people; of course, you’ll be relieved and happy to know you are not the only one left, no matter who the other is. And if he’s still around, if he’s still alive despite the life of hardships he might have had, it means he must still prefer that than to… not be alive, right? So, there is nothing wrong with you being happy that he survived, either.” 

Chan hadn’t considered this point of view, but he could see where Changbin’s thought process made sense. Slowly, it felt like at least one of the chains that was wrapped around his chest, constricting it painfully ever since the moment he had laid eyes on Felix, was loosening.

“Besides… You are doing good in this universe already, Channie… And you have the power to help make his life better from now on, if you want to and he lets you.”

That was true, Chan told himself. It was true, he could do something for Felix, he could help the prince. He’d already agreed to, too. 

He took a deep breath, and lifted his head from where it was buried against Changbin’s chest. Changbin observed his face quietly for a moment, trying to gauge his mood, and then smiled softly before wiping at the remains of Chan’s tears, cleaning his face.

“Thank you, Binnie…” Chan breathed out, catching one of Changbin’s hands in his own and squeezing it tightly. “You’re… you’re right. And I already talked to him… He asked for help. There is… there is a friend of his, a slave, too, who was sold in the Capital, and whom he asked if we could free…”

Changbin frowned a little, shifting his hand in Chan’s so he could intertwine their fingers and start to play with Chan’s hand in his.

“And what did you say…?”

“I said we would do it.”

Changbin’s frown grew and he stopped playing with Chan’s hand, squeezing it instead.

“We’ll have to talk about that with everyone, first…” He adverted, and Chan swallowed thickly, but nodded.

“Yeah… Probably…”

“Not probably, definitely. I’ll call the others up, ok?”

Chan nodded, humming in agreement, and Changbin got up and out of the chair, returning to his own after letting go of Chan’s hand. Chan instantly missed his warmth, feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable sitting there on his own, even though Changbin was not even two whole feet away from him.

It didn’t take long after Changbin had made the call for the door to the bridge to open, with Seungmin, Woojin and Minho stepping into the room together; Jisung caught up just before the doors closed, putting in a short sprint to arrive basically at the same time as the others.

“You called us?” Woojin asked first, sitting in the chair right next to Chan’s after shoving Seungmin out of the way, who had been going for the same chair. Seungmin made to protest, but was cut off when Changbin took hold of his wrist and pulled him backwards, making him stumble into the same chair he was already sitting in. Before Seungmin could leave, Changbin wrapped his arms around his torso and hooked his chin over his shoulder, effectively holding him in place. Seungmin didn’t bother to try and escape Changbin’s hold, not minding the situation he’d ended up in all that much. 

Just next to Changbin’s chair, Jisung took his seat in his own preferred spot, Minho squeezing into the chair with him naturally. They were all pretty huddled together like this, and while Chan wouldn’t usually have minded, he almost wished for a little more room now; not that he was going to say anything.

“I did.” Changbin answered Woojin’s question, catching everyone’s attention. “Chan here talked to our new guests, and apparently, they have a friend who’s been sold into slavery in the Capital. And Chan’s agreed that we go and save him.”

Changbin’s short explanation was met with a heavy silence.

“The- the Capital?” Minho croaked out weakly, and everyone’s eyes turned to Chan, who shrunk a little in his seat. 

“Well, yeah… That’s where Felix says he was sold to.”

Silence, again, encompassed them.

“I don’t think we are prepared to fly into the Capital to rescue someone, not the way we are stocked and prepared -or better yet, _not_ prepared- right now…” Jisung adverted carefully.

“I don’t think so, either. We need some careful planning before we should ever even think about venturing there. The Esmerilhao is a great ship, yes, but she’s also very easily recognizable. We won’t be able to just fly into an Alliance hotspot, grab a guy and leave, no questions asked, no run-ins, no nothing. We would need a wealth of more information, otherwise we’ll only get ourselves killed. And even well prepared, there is still a very high chance we’ll get ourselves killed; or worse: imprisoned.” Changbin followed up Jisung’s reservations with his own, and Woojin only just let him finish before speaking up as well. 

“I’m all for saving the innocent out of dire situations they had no part being dragged into, but not if it compromises everyone’s safety. Also, since when did we go from working on bringing down the whole network to trying to save a single person, our own safety be damned?”

The disappointment and distaste in Woojin’s tone was almost tangible, and Chan visibly recoiled from it, shrinking into his chair.

“I think it is worth noting that the person we are talking about has a very special set of powers that, if they fall into Alliance hands, pose a very real and very big threat to all of us; and not just us on this ship, but everyone who works against the Alliance, no matter where in the universe.” Seungmin cut in, outwardly too calm for the words he just spilled into the room.

“He-... what?” Woojin asked, but it wasn’t Seungmin who answered, but Jisung.

“Apparently, the kid we are talking about is one of the last ones of a species of space and time travelers. According to Felix and Hyunjin, he’s able to teleport pretty much everything and everyone, everywhere in the universe and even through time. In theory, because if what Felix said is true, he is always kept so heavily drugged up that he can do little more than teleport an ashtray across the room, to make sure he doesn’t teleport himself.”

Woojin visibly paled, likely understanding better than anyone else the danger the kid posed if the Alliance’s military got their hands on him.

“I-... Can I say something?” Minho piped up suddenly, and everyone turned to him. He no longer shrunk under the undivided attention, but he didn’t look comfortable, either.

“Sure, Minho…” Chan encouraged him after clearing his throat. Minho nodded, collecting his thoughts for a moment before starting to speak.

“I just… I guess I just want to say, there is probably nothing worse than being a slave to the Alliance’s military. That kid… He doesn’t stand a chance there. No one does. They will find ways to use him and his powers without him having any say at all in it, no matter how much he tries. If he falls into their hands, it’s over for both him and everyone they use him against. So, I’m all for us doing everything we can to save him before that happens. It’s just…” He took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know if I can do it. As much as I want to make sure no one else ever becomes a slave to them ever again, I-... I don’t think I can ever go back into those places where… where they keep us- them, I-” He broke off, screwing his eyes shut as his whole body shook with a violent shiver.

Immediately, Jisung wrapped his arms around him tightly, pulling him back against his chest and shushed him gently.

“It’s ok, Min, you’re ok. You’re not there anymore, and you don’t have to go back there. You don’t. They won’t ever lay their hands on you, ever again. You’re safe.”

Minho sagged against Jisung, only Jisung’s hold on him keeping him upright in the chair.

Chan felt his gut clench in sympathy as he watched Minho only not fall apart thanks to Jisung’s hold on him. But, if the memory of being a military slave left someone like Minho terrified like this, he couldn’t stand the thought of being able to help prevent someone else going through that and not doing it in the end, even less.

“For what my take is worth, I think we should try to save the kid as fast as possible. It won’t be easy to essentially steal him from a collector, but to kidnap him from the military will be virtually impossible. And considering the threat he poses to all of us in the Alliance’s military, we really should do our damndest to not let him get that far.”

Jisung hummed in agreement with Seungmin.

“I want to save the kid, too. Both for our safety and his. I’d hate for him to go through any worse than he most likely already has. It’s no fun growing up in any kind of slavery, but he shouldn’t have to suffer any worse if we can help it.”

From Changbin came a sound of protest, though.

“I just want it to be clear that I’m not going to let myself be caught by Alliance forces again. I can’t do it. I’d sooner shoot myself, if they don’t do it while trying to catch me; and the probability that they will, if we were really stupid enough to fly into their fucking _Capital_ , is disproportionally high. It would basically be a suicide mission, going in there, even more so since we don’t even know who we are looking for, nor where. It’s madness!”

Chan swallowed thickly, having heard the verdict from every member of his crew, and it didn’t look good. Two were with him, three weren’t. They were split even, and even though it was customary for a captain’s vote to count for two if there was a tie, he wouldn’t do that to his crew. He couldn’t. As much as it would suck to have to tell Felix they wouldn’t be able to save his friend after all, he preferred that over putting Changbin, Minho and Woojin through something they so obviously wanted no part of.

So, with a shaky exhale, he got up slowly.

“Ok, then… We’ll just… Keep going, like before, and… and maybe… maybe tell someone else-”

He was interrupted by Woojin clearing his throat next to him.

“Can I say something else?” He asked, clearly not done yet, and Chan nodded hastily, letting himself fall back into the chair he’d only just risen half out of.

“I would just like to summarise… We’ve come to the conclusion that the kid falling into the hands of the Alliance’s military is going to pose a huge, if not existential, threat to all of the Alliance’s enemies; which includes us, as well as the Rebellion, entire planets that as of now are part of the Alliance through sheer force alone, numerous smaller groups and organizations, as well as every and all colonies that serve as refuge to outcasts and runaways. That basically leaves us with the moral obligation to _do something_ , whether we like it or not.” He paused to let his words sink in. “And since what Seungmin said is undeniably right -it will be virtually impossible to kidnap him from the Alliance’s military- we really only have a very small timeframe to start acting and go for him. We do have the advantage of having two people on board who know him, and might have a lead to where he was brought, and we do have the means to prepare the ship and ourselves to make it to the Capital and back out of it, as well as the wits and powers on this ship to devise virtually fail-safe plans, and back-up plans should we need them.” 

Chan held his breath as he waited for Woojin to continue, not having expected the turn his words were taking.

“If we work together, and fast and hard, we will be able to devise a plan that will get us in and out safely, and I’m sure we’ll manage to find a place for Changbin and Minho to stay where they won’t be anywhere close to danger until we can pick them up again. We have to be quick, though.”

Chan visibly gaped at Woojin, but Woojin seemed to ignore him, looking expectantly at the other four gathered.

“I’m sorry for adding extra stress and complications…” Minho started quietly, “But I really… I don’t think I can do this. I don’t… I don’t want to leave all of you and the ship, I don’t want to stay behind, especially without Sung, but-”

Jisung’s hold on Minho visibly tightened, though he stayed silent, not finding words to comfort the other. Chan found himself bereft of any way to comfort Minho, too, but to everyone’s surprise, it was Woojin who spoke up.

“It’s ok, Minho. You still have time to decide if you want or don’t want to come with us, in the end, and either way I’ll make sure to plan a possibility to get you and Changbin to safety before we go in and how to pick you up afterwards into my strategies. I’ll make sure we all stay as safe as possible throughout the whole thing, but no one is going to force you to join in on anything you don’t want to.”

Woojin’s words weren’t entirely unexpected, but it dawned on everyone in the room that that had probably been the first time Woojin addressed Minho of his own volition; and with such a gentle tone, too! Then again, neither Woojin nor Minho seemed fazed by the apparent change, and Seungmin looked pretty unsurprised, too. Something must have happened that the other three weren’t aware of, but as surprising as it was, it wasn’t a priority in that moment, and it became evident just a moment later when Changbin shook himself out of his surprise and spoke up with a grimness that was honestly intimidating.

“If we are really going to do this… If we are really going to be stupid enough to fly our asses into the Capital… I’m coming with all of you. Someone needs to fly this ship, and get you access and information left, right and center. You are essentially helpless without me, and I’m not sitting back and watching you all go down while I’m safe. I’ll hate every second of the way, and I’m going to ban Woojin from Chan’s room to crawl into my captain’s bed so he can get rid of my nightmares while I sleep, and I won’t let myself get caught, either; not alive, anyway! But I’m coming with you!”

Woojin and Chan both were a little caught up on Changbin’s calling them out for Woojin having essentially taken up residence in Chan’s cabin, but neither said anything; if out of the shock of the moment or emotion over the vehemence of Changbin’s expression of loyalty, that was left unclarified.

“So… Are we doing this?” Seungmin’s voice cut through the silence, and everyone looked expectantly at Chan.

Suddenly the center of attention again, Chan had to pull himself out of where he’d apparently tried to become one with his chair, sitting up straight.

“Well, if we all agree…?” He sounded a little breathless, but firm enough. Nods answered him from all around, even Minho agreeing after a moment. “I guess then it is settled. We’ll take course towards the Capital, and come up with a plan and everything else on the way… Is that possible?” He asked Woojin next to him, who nodded without looking at him.

Something inside Chan squeezed uncomfortably at the coldness he felt coming from Woojin, but he continued, giving Changbin the indication to set course and everyone permission to leave.

Jisung and Minho were the first to leave, without a word to the others, while Seungmin announced that he’d go see how their guests were doing. Changbin was immediately immersed in the control panel in front of him, and Woojin didn’t move. 

Chan couldn’t stand the silence from Woojin next to him, but neither did he feel like he was able to confront Woojin about it to find out the reason, so he decided to leave, too, even without a destination in mind.

He didn’t make it far, just outside the doors to the bridge, when he noticed Woojin was following him. Even though Chan didn’t feel like he was ready for a confrontation with Woojin, he stopped halfway down the hallway. If Woojin wanted to talk to him, he wouldn’t run away from him; if he didn’t want to, he would just pass him and go after his own life.

To Chan’s dismay, Woojin stopped, too; he remained silent, still, though. 

Chan took a deep breath, sensing he would have to be the one to initiate the conversation he didn’t wish to have.

“You’re upset.” He stated, sure of his words, still without turning to face Woojin.

“I am.” Woojin agreed, his voice even and void of any emotion, which more than his words confirmed Chan’s guess.

Chan swallowed thickly, but nodded in acknowledgement.

“Do you know why?” Woojin inquired, but Chan couldn’t answer, feeling a knot growing in his throat. 

Behind him, Woojin let out a frustrated sigh, his mask of calm indifference breaking.

“Chan, you can’t make decisions like that in the spur of the moment over all our heads.” He started, keeping his voice even, as if he was reprimanding a small child. Chan was just grateful he wasn’t yelling. “You saw just now how Changbin and Minho reacted. Ok, they agreed in the end, kind of, but they are both not ok with it. They both have their reservations, and we need to make sure we have a safe place for Minho if he decides he can’t do it. You weren’t going to force him to come with us against his will, were you?” 

Chan inhaled deeply, shaking his head as he tried to hold the onslaught of tears back that were rising to the surface from seemingly nowhere.

“No. Of course not. You are right, and I wasn’t thinking. I…” he grimaced, lowering his head as he tried to make sense of… himself, essentially. In the end, he found there was only one thing that was eating away at him, responsible for pretty much all of the turmoil he’d been in that morning, and he had to let it out, even if Woojin didn’t ask.

“That boy… he is my prince, Woojin.” He whispered eventually. “And possibly the only other survivor of our species. I-” 

Voicing it out loud only made it all the more true, in a way, and it hurt.

“You felt obligated to him, didn’t you…” Woojin’s voice wasn’t judging, turning incredibly soft instead. 

“I did, I think. I-” Chan broke off with a shaky exhale, and Woojin stepped closer, pulling him into a back-hug. 

“I understand where you’re coming from. And that this must be quite the shock for you… We all do, which is why the boys tried their damndest to make sure you didn’t have to deal with it last night while you were tired out of your mind.” Woojin held him tightly before letting go just enough to turn Chan around in his embrace so he was facing him and cupped his face with one hand, caressing his cheek softly while his expression still remained serious. “But, really, Chan, from now on… We agreed to make all decisions together, all of us, unless they are decisions where literally every second counts, and you… you can’t just go and decide over our heads like that. Not about something like this.” 

Chan nodded, pulling back slightly from Woojin. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to be more careful and not do it again.” He agreed weakly, but he meant it. A tender look crossed Woojin’s features and he caressed the apple of his cheek again while he held Chan’s gaze with his own, who was positively drowning in the warmth Woojin’s gaze held now. 

“You are a great captain, I hope you know that. I couldn’t imagine a better one, and none I’d rather serve under.” 

Chan gasped, choking on his spit ungracefully, and Woojin laughed quietly as he patted Chan’s back helpfully. 

“What in the universe prompted that? After I just messed up like this?” Chan wheezed once he somewhat caught his breath.

Woojin smiled fondly, if a tiny little bit mischievously while his hands fell to rest on Chan’s hips, holding him relatively close still.

“Genuine gratitude for you being the way you are, and for actually listening to your crew’s concerns.” He explained, completely serious despite the smile and their close proximity.

Chan huffed quietly, but the tips of his ears turned red in a way that his silvery blonde curls couldn’t hide from Woojin. Woojin could only laugh quietly again, slinging an arm around Chan’s shoulders and pulling him closer to press a tender kiss against his temple, murmuring a quiet “Adorable.” into Chan’s curls before pulling away.

“I believe I have some planning to do… I’m hoping Felix can help me with that. Do you want to come with me?” 

Chan hesitated for a moment, shaking his head quietly after a moment.

“I’m going to find Minho to see if he’s alright, and apologize. And maybe go for a nap afterwards.”

Woojin nodded, letting go of Chan and stepping away.

“I’ll see you later, then.”

*#*#*#*

It was later when Woojin found Chan again; quite a bit later, in fact, and still Chan was only just waking up from his nap.

“These last two days really did a number on you, huh?” Woojin remarked fondly as he watched Chan sit up on his bed, looking disoriented from sleep still. He nodded groggily, swinging his legs out of the bed.

“Between the fights yesterday, the stress, healing everyone and cleaning up, and then this morning… Just thinking about it makes me want to go right back to sleep.”

Woojin hummed in understanding, coming over to sit on the bed next to Chan, cupping his face in his hand before leaning in to brush a tender kiss to Chan’s plush lips. Chan hummed appreciatively, his sense of restraint or shyness having not yet woken up from the nap. Woojin smiled into the kiss, and Chan couldn’t bring himself to care about what way he _should_ react to the kiss and Woojin’s closeness, simply living in the moment, just this once. He allowed himself that rarely enough.

He didn’t know when he’d laid back down, but he didn’t really care, either, when Woojin eventually pulled away just slightly and Chan realized he was holding himself propped up just above him, while he was lying on his back again. Lazily, he lifted his arms from where he’d bunched his hands up in Woojin’s jacket and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down once more. 

Woojin knew what Chan wanted, taking his weight off his arms to lie on Chan and let him _feel_ him. Chan simply loved to feel Woojin’s weight lying on him, they’d found out eventually, and since Woojin was aware he wasn’t that much heavier than Chan himself, he willingly indulged the other without worrying if he was too heavy. Chan hummed appreciatively, kissing Woojin deeper than before.

They kept it relatively chaste, though. As Chan woke up more and more, he realized, too, that Woojin must have come to him for a reason, and as much as they were both enjoying it, that reason was most likely not to make out with him. He pulled back eventually, rolling them both onto their sides. Pillowing his head on his arm, he looked up at Woojin expectantly.

Woojin understood the silent cue, and pillowed his head comfortably, too, before taking Chan’s free hand in his own to lightly play with his fingers.

“I talked to the two boys earlier. They managed to give me a surprising amount of details to work with, both to save their friend as well as our main mission.” Woojin started.

“Oh?” Chan prompted, curious, but Woojin shook his head lightly.

“I won’t get into everything, now. I jotted everything down and filed it up with what we had already. I’m sure there are many dots that will connect once we look closer at what they told me, but there’s time for that later. You don’t need to fill your head with that now. Wanna know what I got for our rescue mission, though?”

Chan nodded, waiting eagerly.

"The boy we're going after is named Yang Jeongin. He's a descendant from the people of an abandoned dwarf-planet called Donai, and he's basically a child, still. He was born and raised on a rebel base, and has apparently learned how to control his powers really well there before he got caught by the Alliance. He must be really powerful, since even heavily drugged up he's teleported himself halfway across the Capital a few times. For that reason, he carries half his body weight in trackers and tags embedded in him, according to Hyunjin."

Chan let out a pensive hum.

"Maybe Jisung can build something to jam those trackers, even without taking them out of him, at first? At least for a while…"

Woojin nodded, agreeing.

"That's what I was thinking, too. We'll have to ask him. Speaking of trackers, Felix has taken his own tag out and destroyed it; you don’t need to worry about that one anymore.”

Chan let out a sigh of relief. Now that had been something that he had been dreading, asking the prince to allow him to touch him, and not just that, mess with his energy and body to take the tracker out… Internally, he wept in relief that he didn’t have to tackle that challenge, after all.

“That’s… perfect. Great; I’m glad. Uhm, what about the kid’s whereabouts now, though?” He steered the conversation back to the topic at hand.

“Right. We don’t know where exactly he is or could be now, which sucks. But, Hyunjin is a whole spring of information! He’s been owned by pretty much all of the renowned collectors in the Capital at some point, the poor thing, and knows his way around in all the important houses. He apparently has a quite extensive network of connections among the slaves in the big collector houses, and he is quite confident he can find Jeongin through that, if he can contact at least one of his friends in the houses in some way.”

Chan whistled lowly.

“Ok… In theory, that’s great. A network means that many people will know about our search, though… Which means many people who can slip up and have the wrong ears hear them…”

Woojin hummed in agreement.

“Yeah, which is why we’ll have to come up with a cover story and be really careful; if we even manage to contact someone in that network.”

“If we set Changbin on that… I’m sure he will find a way…”

“Possibly, yes. We have another, in, too, though…”

“Oh?”

“Felix. He hasn’t been in as many houses, since the Alliance kept a much closer eye on him, but he’s been able to make powerful friends during his stays in the places he’s been in. He says he counts the wife and daughter of a powerful senator as his friends, ever since he’s saved the daughter’s life, once. He’s also well-liked by the free staff in one of the military hospitals, apparently.”

Chan nodded to himself.

“He must have been used for his healing abilities… I wonder how well he’s been able to develop them, without proper training…”

“Enough to save some important lives, at least.”

“By the looks of it… We shouldn’t try to contact them unless Hyunjin’s network fails, though. If the high-ranking ones decide his life isn’t worth keeping what they know a secret for after all and decide to tattle, their words will make rounds very quickly and reach dangerous ears faster.”

Woojin hummed.

“Valid point… Hyunjin has already managed to help out in another important way, though. He drew a picture of that Jeongin kid, and according to Felix it’s spot-on. Wanna see?”

Chan’s eyes widened.

“Is that even a question?! Show me!”

Woojin chuckled, pulling out his personal link. with a few taps, he enlarged the holo-projection and showed Chan the drawing.

Chan gasped, covering his mouth as he stared at the picture in shock.

“Holy _shit!_ Hyunjin _drew_ that?!”

Woojin nodded.

“That is… oh Belize, he is _tiny_ , Wooj…!”

“He is. Basically, a child, still, like I said. He’s even younger than Seungmin…” He tacked on, and his and Chan’s eyes found each other over the holo-projection.

“Fuck… We _really_ need to save him now!”

“Absolutely. I’m not going to let that baby get hurt like Minho did…”

Chan’s eyebrows rose with interest.

“Agreed. How come… What happened between you and Minho, though?”

Woojin gave him an innocent look.

“What do you mean, what happened…?”

Chan snorted, kicking Woojin’s thigh with his knee lightly.

“Don’t go all innocent on me. One moment you can barely stand being in the same room with him, the next you stand up for him and are all… I don’t know… Soft about him?”

Woojin huffed, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. Chan didn’t miss how he bit and wet his lips nervously, though, avoiding his gaze as he spoke.

“I’m not… _soft_ about him… I just… I’m grateful, ok? He saved me from that slaver yesterday, at his own expense. He got seriously hurt to save me, and he knew exactly what would happen to him if he did what he did. And he still did it. Besides… He’s really been protecting Seungmin, and helping Jisung…”

Chan’s eyebrows only rose higher.

“You knew that before, though…”

“I knew, but I didn’t… I didn’t _realize_ , ok? Not until… until yesterday, and this morning, when I found him training with Seungmin… actually, comforting him after training. He really cares about my brother, so I guess… It’s time I eat my pride and start accepting him- Can you stop grinning like a bloody fool?!” He shoved his hand at Chan’s face, who only laughed, catching Woojin’s hand before it could make contact with his face. 

Automatically, Woojin’s fingers threaded through Chan’s, all fight leaving him, and Chan brought their linked hands closer to press a kiss to Woojin’s knuckles before lowering them to rest on the mattress in the space between them.

“I’m glad you’re pulling your head out of your ass when it comes to Minho. You could even become great friends, like that, one day!”

Woojin snorted.

“Easy, tiger. Let us become civil first, alright?”

“Alright!” Chan smiled, proud of the other as he nuzzled his hand in his own again. “Now, back to that planning to kidnap us a Jeonginnie…!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the unannounced 2 month hiatus... It was never my plan to take so long between updates. I was working 3 jobs at once for a while, though, and I gues that took a toll on me and my free time that I'd normally use to write. Now I'm back to working only 2 jobs, so hopefully I'll be able to write more again! Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far! Drop a comment telling me what you think if you feel that way inclined <3


	18. Young Love

Changbin steered the Esmerilhao in the direction of the Capital, always in hopes that Woojin would come up with a strategy to save Jeongin in time before they reached their destination. It would take them a few days at best to reach the Capital from their current position, so the decision was unanimous to start heading in that direction.

Woojin was well aware they all depended on him, and he spent a great deal of time on the bridge going through all the information about the Capital, the exotic slave business and the big collectors and noble houses and families in the Capital that he could find.

Usually, he was accompanied either by Felix or Hyunjin on the bridge, and of course, always Changbin.

Hyunjin provided him with a list of all the collectors he could think of, highlighting those he’d been owned by, and giving valuable details about every single one of them, as well as how the slave trade business worked between the collectors, what categories they classified the slaves in, what value they held and how they were treated according to category.

It was sickening, at times, but Hyunjin seemed almost detached from it. Felix, on the other hand, avoided them whenever their conversation steered in those directions.

He, in turn, provided Woojin with valuable information about the highest ranks of the elites of the Capital and the Alliance’s politicians, who was influential, who was easy to influence, who could be swayed by money or shiny things, who requested favours, and who could be threatened and blackmailed.

Changbin and Woojin pieced all that information together neatly, Changbin digging up impossible details about every new name that fell off Hyunjin or Felix’s lips.

Aside from that, Hyunjin drew a plan of the entire network of friends he had across the collector’s houses, both among slaves and servants, which Changbin dug into and confirmed or adjusted, depending on the information he found. With that, Woojin could easily identify who the crucial links were that Hyunjin had to contact to reach far and wide and find Jeongin as quickly as possible, and Changbin went to work on trying to find ways to contact the people in question.

All the while, Felix, whenever not actively involved in providing more information that could possibly be important himself, stuck to Changbin’s side, marveling at the human’s skills. Changbin was by no means immune to the admiration Felix showed unabashedly, and it couldn’t be put any other way: he was compelled to show off quite a bit, glowing with pride when Felix voiced his fascination with his skills.

Chan observed those kinds of interactions between Felix and Changbin with reservation from afar, but he wouldn’t dare to interfere. He wouldn’t have been able to, since every time his stare hardened as he watched them, without fail an elbow would nudge his side.

“Hey. Leave them be…” Woojin would murmur, not without a certain level of amusement in his voice, and Chan would sigh and roll his eyes and leave the bridge to go work in the conference room instead.

While he was working on piecing the same information together that Woojin was working with, he avoided the bridge as if it had been contaminated with something especially nasty these days and preferred the quiet of the conference room instead. First, that led to some confusion among the crew-mates, as it seemed as if Chan had simply fallen off the ship and was nowhere to be found, until Changbin decided to check where on the ship power was being consumed and found activity in the conference room, thus revealing Chan’s hiding place.

Chan claimed it wasn’t that he was hiding, but simply that he required quiet while working, as well as a big desk; both of which he only found in the conference room.

They all had their theories as to why Chan suddenly required that much quiet while working, but he neither confirmed nor denied a single one, simply shooing everyone out of the room if they didn’t come to him with a sufficiently urgent matter.

Eventually, though, Woojin had enough of Chan’s hiding and decided to confront him about it.

“Chan. It’s not like you to avoid us like this. What in the universe is going on that you keep isolating yourself in here?”

“I’m not… not _isolating_ myself…” He started out confidently, but Woojin’s stern gaze caused him to break off and merely mumble the rest of his answer. Woojin would no longer tolerate his bullshit, his look told him as much.

“You are sending all of us back out practically as soon as we step inside this room. You are working on the exact same things I am, yet you refuse to work _with_ me outside on the bridge. Come to think of it, I can count on one hand the minutes you’ve spent there these days. Either you tell me what is keeping you off the bridge, or you cut the crap and come work with me. We don’t have time for this hiding game, we need to work together if we want me to be able to formulate a plan before we land in the Capital!”

Chan swallowed his complaints, grit his teeth and nodded.

“Alright. Let’s go to the bridge then.”

“Seriously? You’re not going to tell me what it is that is bothering you? Really?”

Chan shrugged.

“There is nothing to tell.”

“Bullshit…” Woojin mumbled, but he followed Chan anyway and didn’t press him any further, vowing to himself to keep an eye on Chan.

For a while after he and Woojin had settled in to work, it really looked like nothing was bothering Chan. He talked to Hyunjin and Seungmin and listened to Jisung’s tale about how their training session with Minho had gone that morning, reviewed the cover message they would have Hyunjin record to send to his contacts in the Capital with Changbin, discussed Seungmin’s progress in shielding his mind with Minho and Seungmin himself, helped Hyunjin record the message they wanted to send to his contacts, and of course, coordinated with Woojin as they worked through the piles of information about the rich and powerful of the Capital. Everything seemed normal, until…

Until Felix stepped onto the bridge.

Felix interacted normally with everyone, and everyone reciprocated in the same way, except… Chan.

Be it jumping up and out of his seat as soon as Felix stepped onto the bridge, the deep bow when Felix walked past, his inability to form coherent sentences when the situation called for him to talk to Felix… Chan found it impossible to relax whenever Felix was around, clamming up in general when he was in the same room, all concentration gone, as well as his ability to speak to anyone. It was uncomfortable, and not just for Chan and Felix, but everyone. Chan didn’t seem to be able to help himself, though.

It was only the morning after Woojin had dragged Chan out of the conference room to come back to participate in social life on the bridge when Felix approached Chan directly, looking intimidatingly determined as he did so.

“Captain? Is it possible to have a word in private with you?” He asked, and Chan swore he could feel himself shrivel up and die under the stare of Felix’ silver-blue eyes.

“O-of course, y-… Felix.” He got up, his knees feeling like they hadn’t been made to support his weight and indicating the way to the conference room. He was uncomfortably aware of all the stares in the room fixed on his back.

Felix graciously led the way, and Chan followed him, but still opened the door for him so Felix could step inside the room first. As soon as the door closed, Felix turned around to face Chan.

“I’m going to be really up-front with you: do you have a problem with me?” Felix asked, without sugar-coating anything.

Chan’s eyes widened in surprise – or maybe shock was the more accurate term.

“N-no! No, I don’t, why would I- I have no problem with you, whatsoever!”

Felix sighed, sounding disappointed for some reason.

“Then why… why do you avoid me so much? Why is it- Why am I the only one you don’t talk to? It’s like you don’t even acknowledge it when I’m in the same room, and usually when I come in, you just- leave. What have I done wrong?”

Chan felt his heart racing, and not in a good way.

“No, that’s not- I didn’t mean to, I would never mean to- to ignore you, or- You’ve done nothing wrong, I swear, and I didn’t meant to- to leave every time, I didn’t-”

“It’s because you can’t see past me being a prince, isn’t it...” Felix deadpanned, sounding so, _so_ tired and just sad as he pulled one of the chairs out and sitting down. Chan hurried to sit down, too. He didn’t deny Felix’ words though, avoiding his gaze entirely even though he only sat one chair down the table from Felix.

Felix sighed quietly, taking a deep breath afterwards.

“I never asked to be a prince, you know…” He started quietly. “In fact, I hate the title. All my life, it has brought nothing but pain to me…”

Chan held his breath as Felix began to talk, his fingers absently tracing the intricate wooden pattern of the conference table’s inlays.

“From as early on as I can remember, it’s been used to degrade me. People shoving me, making me sit, or even lay on the floor, making me eat from the bare tiles where moments before their shoes had walked past… Asking me if I felt princely yet when they shoved my face into the scraps of food they spared me in the dirt.” He took a deep breath, then continued as Chan listened in petrified silence. “Then the parades started, showing me off like a trophy, laughing in my face about how pathetic I was; and I was supposed to be a prince of the mighty planet of Beire?”

Felix made a conscious effort to unclench his hands and lay them flat on the surface of the table before he continued.

“Then, I came into my powers. I used them accidentally, knowing nothing about them, using them to redirect my fall when I was shoved and was about to fall down a set of stairs. In hindsight, I should have just taken the tumble down the stairs; it would have been less painful. They beat me within an inch of my life, letting me know that was what would happen every time I dared use my powers. Naturally, I was scared for my life and didn’t want anything to do with my powers, not venturing anywhere near them again.” He took a shaky breath, leaning back to stare at the ceiling while blinking slowly before continuing.

“I was assigned to a new owner, eventually, and they… They forced me to demonstrate my powers at the first party thrown in their house after my arrival. I was terrified of using my powers, so I’d never tried to do anything with them. I failed miserably. Away from the eyes of the guests, once again, I was beaten within an inch of my life, and told to never embarrass them like this again. I tried honing my powers in secret, but the whole time, I was terrified of being found out, terrified of failing in front of an audience again, terrified of _everything_ …

“I failed many more times in front of an audience. I was ridiculed and publicly humiliated; I was supposed to be a prince of my species, and couldn’t even use my powers? And so, they started trying to provoke instinctual reactions for me to use my powers. I got beaten, shoved, startled… Tortured, even, for a show of my powers. And when they would show, and even so much as brushed any of my tormentors, I was punished for that as well.”

Felix swallowed thickly, and Chan sat rooted to his spot in shock and dread. He wanted to speak up, tell Felix he didn’t have to tell him, tell him he didn’t want to hear any more of it, but he had lost his voice completely.

“So, that was how I grew up; hating the damned title, hating and fearing both using my powers, and failing to use my powers, and training to use my powers; hating my species, my parents, my planet, for abandoning me to these vicious creatures. Most of all, though, I hated myself and whatever I was born as.

“The first time I didn’t hate everything about myself, was when I found out I could use my powers to heal. It took years more for me not to hate myself for being Beiran, and only because wherever I was sent, those who were similarly unfortunate seemed to see in me something that gave them hope, and I learned to use the powers that came with my birthright to help others. But being a prince? That never helped anyone; not me, not anyone around me. Ever.

“What is so special about being a prince, anyway? In what way does it make me different than anyone else? In what way does me being a prince make me different from you?” He fixed his eyes on Chan, holding Chan’s gaze with his own.

“I have to eat and drink and sleep just like you. When I get hurt, I bleed the exact same colour as you. My powers are just the same as yours – actually, compared to yours, they are probably mediocre. And on top of that, I have achieved absolutely nothing in my life aside from being born, while you’ve worked hard to be where you are, to become a captain. So, why am I supposed to be more than you? Why are you supposed to treat me like I’m above you?”

Felix’ gaze turned pleading.

“I’m not above you, Chan… _Please_ , please… Stop only seeing my title in me. Please, start seeing me as just another Beiran; as the young and scared Beiran who doesn’t know much about the universe or even himself and his planet, that I am. Please, start treating me like you treat Hyunjin, at least; because I am not more than him, either. Less, probably, because he is much smarter than I am, has more connections and knowledge about the universe, and is older than I am, too…”

Chan’s heart shattered, and it was what finally startled him out of his frozen trance. It was as if he was seeing Felix for the first time; really seeing him, as the boy he still was, the boy Felix had just described to Chan. The boy with the wide, misty eyes that reflected so much pain, the trembling bottom lip that betrayed how close under the surface the tears of endless contained hurt simmered, and the narrow, slumped shoulders that carried a weight they were never meant to carry. And, seeing him as that forlorn, sad boy, Chan’s instincts took over and he reacted the same way he would if it were any of the other boys of his crew standing in front of him like that.

He got up, closed the distance between them, and only just stopped right in front of Felix, barely holding back.

“Can I hug you?” He whispered, voice choked, and Felix could only answer with a nod, tears finally spilling over.

Chan gently pulled Felix up and out of his seat, into his arms, and hugged him. Aside from the pain of his aching, broken heart, all Chan was able to focus on was Felix in that moment. He could practically wrap himself completely around the small boy, and that was just what he did. Felix didn’t seem to mind at all, either, hiding against his chest as Chan held him and letting the pent-up tears and sobs out. If felt like it could very well be the first time that Felix let himself cry like that, judging from the force with which his sobs shook his thin frame, and the thought alone was enough for Chan to loose his composure, too, his eyes fogging over and tears spilling silently down his cheeks as well.

It was standing there like that, both crying, that Woojin eventually found them. Chan saw the door open, recognizing Woojin’s silhouette immediately, even through misty eyes, and blinked forcefully to get his vision to focus and ask him with a look alone what he needed.

Woojin shook his head, though, waving dismissively to indicate it wasn’t urgent, and left once again.

Chan’s altered body language alerted Felix to the fact that they were no longer alone, though, and even though Woojin had left again, he pulled himself together and away from Chan. Chan still held him, not ready to let him go, and gently moved to clean the remnants of his tears away; Felix let him, without protest.

“I’m sorry, Felix… I’m sorry for being such a head-ass… I didn’t realize-… I was so stuck up in my own mess, that I completely disregarded your feelings. And I’m sorry for that.” He apologized quietly, and Felix nodded in response.

“Apology accepted… I just think… I’m pretty sure you must have a completely different image of me than what, or who, I actually am…”

Chan nodded slowly.

“Probably. Actually: definitely. But I am willing to work on dismantling that image and replacing it with the one of the real you.”

Felix gave him a shaky smile.

“That is all I could ask for… And yet… Can I ask you for another favour, Chan?” he asked, timidly now, as if he wasn’t sure what he was asking for himself, or if he should ask at all.

“Yes; what is it?”

Felix took a deep breath.

“Can you tell me about Beire…? You don’t have to, if it’s too hard… I would just like to… to know more about it, since I never got the chance to see it…”

Chan could feel tears prick at his own eyes again, knowing without a doubt that it would hurt, to even think about his beautiful planet, about everything he had lost; _they_ had lost. Never mind talk about it. But even so, he nodded.

“Yes. I can do that…”

“And… maybe, teach me how to use my powers properly?”

“Definitely.”

Felix smiled tentatively, and Chan’s heart lurched in a most painful way. Felix looked so precious, yet so forlorn and helpless, Chan couldn’t help himself and pulled him into another hug. For the first time since he had seen Felix on board of the Esmerilhao, it felt like Felix relaxed, his arms loosely slung around Chan’s middle, while his weight rested against Chan’s body, relying on the older’s strength to hold them both up.

Eventually, they separated, but no more than the few inches that were necessary for them to walk independently back to the bridge, together, and still looking like the emotional messes they felt they were. And as such, Changbin eyed them with worry as they stepped into his realm, flitting from Felix’ tear-swollen eyes to Chan’s own red-rimmed and moist ones.

“What happened between you two…?” He asked slowly. “Did he hurt you? Do I need to beat him up?” He continued, and Chan and Felix stepped closer to each other, looking both equally confused.

“W-who?”

“Who are you talking to?”

They asked simultaneously, and after another beat of silence, Changbin laughed shortly, relieved.

“Both. I’m talking to both of you. Whoever hurt either of you, I’m going to beat their ass!”

Chan and Felix shared one quick look with each other, before laughing quietly, too.

“No one hurt anyone. We’re fine, Binnie. You don’t need to beat anyone up.” Felix reassured him, and Changbin tilted his head questioningly, narrowing his eyes at them.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s true, we’re both fine. We… We had a very much needed talk, one that left us both emotionally drained, but we cried healing tears.” Chan confirmed, and Changbin observed them for a moment longer before visibly relaxing as he accepted their explanation and got up to hug both of them.

“Fucking finally…! The tension between the two of you was becoming unbearable. We were all getting ready to knock some sense into you to get you to pull your heads out of your asses!”

*#*#*#*

Seungmin and Hyunjin lay on the floor of the bay, Hyunjin’s head pillowed on Seungmin’s knee, slowly catching their breath after an intense sparring session. Jisung had joined them, and Woojin had supervised them, but the older Taviran had left to go back to strategizing with Chan, and Jisung claimed he needed a shower, right that instant, and followed him. The other two stayed behind, too tired to move just yet, and with no other commitments forcing them elsewhere.

Seungmin sat up when their breathing calmed down, his eyes automatically falling on Hyunjin resting his head on his leg with his eyes closed. Taking the chance to do so unseen, Seungmin let his gaze linger, taking in Hyunjin’s features. Of course, he’d done so before; many times, in fact, from the moment he and Jisung had found him and Felix on the slavers ship. Hyunjin was really pretty; he liked looking at him.

“You know… my brother is right, you do learn really fast. I’ve been training these moves for ages, and barely got them down, and you learned them in what, two sparring sessions? You just handed me my ass real good today; I should be the one laying down like that…” Seungmin joked, lifting his leg just slightly to jostle but not dislodge Hyunjin.

Hyunjin hummed with a pout, adjusting his position to pillow his head more comfortably on Seungmin’s leg, on his thigh instead of his knee.

“I didn’t say you had to sit up, you could have just kept lying there…” he mumbled, and Seungmin huffed in fake annoyance.

“The floor is cold and uncomfortable, and it feels icky to lie in my own sweat…” He complained, then reached out to brush through Hyunjin’s dry hair. “How come that after a workout like that, you haven’t sweated at all?”

Hyunjin’s eyes fluttered open and he found Seungmin’s gaze.

“I don’t sweat; my body isn’t made to. I wouldn’t need it, in the water.”

Seungmin mouthed a silent, understanding “Ah…”, nodding slowly to himself.

“Makes sense…I keep forgetting you’re amphibious. What’s it like, to live under water? Like, how do you breathe under water?”

Hyunjin gave him an amused look.

“I don’t _breathe_ under water. I can filter oxygen from the water through my skin, so I don’t need to breathe for a long time.”

“Really? That’s so cool! How long can you stay under water like that?” Seungmin asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up, and Hyunjin decided to humor him.

“Around eight hours. Fourteen, if I were to sleep there in between.”

Seungmin laughed quietly, staring down at Hyunjin with wonder in his gaze.

“Amazing…! I can’t even imagine that. Just the thought to just- stopping to breathe… Not needing to breathe…! I can’t really wrap my head around that. But, is it true that your skin changes under water so that you can, well, not breathe, but, you know, filter oxygen through it?”

Hyunjin nodded, still not getting up.

“It’s true. It changes colour, too, along with my eyes, and I get webbing between my fingers and toes, and fins on my arms, legs, back and sides.”

Seungmin stared in amazement at Hyunjin, but then his eyes clouded with worry.

“So, your appearance basically changes completely? Does it hurt when you change back and forth like that?”

Hyunjin shook his head.

“No; I don’t really feel it at all. My fins are very sensitive, because they are made so I can feel my way around in murky water where I can’t see, but they don’t hurt when they grow and disappear.”

Seungmin hummed in understanding, trying to imagine what Hyunjin would look like with fins adorning his body, unconsciously tracing the spots he would imagine them in along his arm.

“So, you’re just meant to live under water, hm? Are you… Are you ok with spending so much time, well, not in water, then? Or do you miss it a lot?”

Hyunjin hummed pensively, staring at the ceiling of the bay in thought.

“I never really thought about it… I’ve never gotten to live under water, so I don’t think I can miss it. And with all the collectors, I was never, like, kept in a tank or something. I think I’ve only ever been allowed baths once or twice, too, normally it was just showers at best. The only times when I got to be fully under water was when they showed me off on parties and such, and then they would generally lock me in a glass tank I couldn’t come out of, to show off that I wouldn’t die even when locked under water for hours. I didn’t like that, though. It’s scary to know that you won’t be able to come up for breath when you need it, and uncomfortable to be exposed like that, unable to hide and fully on display, and with restricted movements, for hours… But… the feeling of water on my skin is still nice. Really nice. I really like it. It’s… refreshing, and it soothes the itches from being dry. It’s soothing.”

Seungmin frowned as he listened to Hyunjin.

“You get itchy outside of the water?” He had to confirm, the thought bothering him.

Hyunjin nodded lazily.

“Yeah… Not immediately, but after a while, yes. My skin gets really dry and feels stretched and starts tearing after a while.”

Seungmin’s frown deepened, but he forced himself to smooth it out when Hyunjin’s gaze started to become worried as he looked back up at him.

“You know… If it helps any, my room’s bathroom has a bathtub; you can use it, if you want.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened.

“A bathtub? Really? On a space-ship?”

Seungmin nodded.

“Yeah. It’s the only one on the ship, but, yeah. I got the captain’s cabin, that’s why… Chan didn’t want it, and Woojin insisted I take it, so… Anyway. If you want to, I don’t know, just soak for a while, or whatever, you can use my bathtub. It’ll probably feel better than the showers, and you can stay there as long as you want.”

Hyunjin stared incredulously at Seungmin, before averting his gaze with a huffed laugh.

“Wow… That’s amazing. I already couldn’t believe it that you have real water showers on board, but a bathtub… That’s incredible!”

Seungmin chuckled quietly, impossibly endeared by Hyunjin’s amazement.

“My brother’s ship is all kinds of special… In a good way.”

Hyunjin nodded, but then his expression clouded over slightly.

“I can tell… But…” he sighed. “I would really like to take a bath sometime, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable just coming up to you and ask for it, even though you offered. Like, it’s one thing now that we’re talking about it, but it just… It would feel… I don’t know, _weird,_ to just knock on your door and ask if I can use your bath…”

Seungmin rolled his eyes, smiling fondly before flicking Hyunjin’s forehead lightly.

“It’s not _weird_ , silly…! It’s something you need to feel good and stay healthy; of course, you should ask! Come, here…!” Seungmin nudged Hyunjin off his leg and to sit up, taking his hand to pull him into a standing position next. Confused, Hyunjin let him.

“What-… what are you doing?” He asked, when Seungmin didn’t let go of his hand and started pulling him along.

“I’m going to show you your new favourite place on this ship!”

Hyunjin stumbled after Seungmin until they reached his room, being led straight to the bathroom and stopping only when they were in front of the tub.

“It’s not too big, nothing really luxurious, because this is not a cruise ship, but it’s something. You should fit in comfortably.” Seungmin stated, satisfied, as he raked his gaze over Hyunjin, assessing his height and comparing it to the tub’s size.

Hyunjin wanted to ask to use the tub, it was clear in his longing expression, but he wouldn’t dare; that was also clear.

“You should use it. If it’s something you need to feel well, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for it. We care about you; _I_ care about you, and I want you to feel well, too. So, please accept my offer and take a bath. Stay in there as long as you want, whenever you want.”

Hyunjin was barely able to tear his eyes away from the tub to focus on Seungmin again, who smiled at him, tilting his head questioningly. Hyunjin broke the eye contact, shaking his head slowly as he exhaled a controlled breath, before straightening up and nodding once. Seungmin beamed at him, placing a hand on his shoulder and patting it softly.

“There you go. Go ahead and get yourself a change of clothes while I run the bath and get some towels!”

Hyunjin hesitated for a moment, but then turned on his heel and left to his assigned cabin to get one of the borrowed changes of clothes they’d found for him. It didn’t take long before he was back, knocking shyly on Seungmin’s door. Seungmin felt a weight fall off his chest, since he’d half worried that Hyunjin would change his mind and not come back after all.

“Hey! Bath is full, I didn’t make it too hot, but you can still adjust the temperature to how you like it with the dials on the side. I didn’t put in any bubbles or salts because I don’t know how sensitive you are to those. If you want any soaps or anything, there’s quite the collection behind the first panel on the right; feel free to use whatever you want. Towels are over here, and… That’s it. If you need anything else, holler; I’ll be over in my room for a bit.”

Hyunjin nodded, and Seungmin stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, a satisfied smile on his lips. He did lounge in the room for a while in case Hyunjin needed something, but he never called out to him and eventually he felt too icky in his own clothes to wait around any longer.

“Hyunjin?” He knocked on the bathroom door, a startled yelp answering him, followed by a splash.

“Y-yeah?”

“I’m going to go over to my brother’s room to shower and then to the bridge; you don’t need to hurry, though. Take your time. Just letting you know that I’m leaving.”

“O-ok.”

Seungmin shook his head fondly, stepping away to do just as he’d announced to Hyunjin. His small smile was still in place when he eventually stepped onto the bridge, finding the rest of the crew already gathered up there.

“What are you smiling to yourself about, hm?” Chan asked curiously, slinging an arm around his middle and pulling him into a side hug that ended with them stumbling and Seungmin sitting on Chan’s lap when he landed back in his chair. Seungmin shrugged in answer.

“Just happy for being able to help a friend out.”

“A friend… Who? You have friends? How?” Jisung teased him, throwing one of the nut-like fruits he was munching on in his direction. Seungmin caught it before it could hit him and returned it swiftly to it’s sender; it hit Jisung’s forehead, and the Atalaian went a little cross-eyed in response, eliciting a few chuckles from the others. Seungmin ignored him, proceeding to elaborate for the sake of the questioning looks he got from Chan and his brother.

“Hyunjin told me about how his skin gets itchy and tears when he spends a long time out of water, so I offered to let him use my bathtub. He wouldn’t say it directly, but I could tell he was really excited for a bath. I’m glad I could help him, the way he described it his skin must feel awful when it gets too dry…”

Understanding reflected in the other’s gazes, and Chan hugged Seungmin a little tighter before leaning around him so he could see the others.

“That’s really nice of you… Sung, please keep an eye on our water levels and cleaning systems so we can make sure we always have enough water for Hyunjin to take baths whenever he wants to, from now on.”

Jisung rolled his eyes.

“I _always_ keep an eye on our water levels… No need to tell me…!” He mumbled, but they all knew there was no real annoyance behind it.

*#*#*#*

Seungmin was eventually forced to get up from his spot when Changbin called Chan over to go over some data he’d retrieved, and decided to join Jisung and Felix as they went to hang around Jisung’s own work station.

“I’m trying to modify the kind of tracking-jammer I used for your and Woojin’s tags so it’ll jam tracking signals without needing a direct current connecting them. If Jeongin is really implanted with so many tracking chips, we can’t get all of them out before taking him. We need a different solution…” Jisung explained when Seungmin joined them.

“How does the old one you have work?” Felix asked curiously, eyeing the device holding Seungmin and Woojin’s tracking devices.

“I connected them in line and wired them to a computer with a compromised space mapping and tracking system, so they’ll always send the position I want them to send, rather than the one they are really in.”

“So, their signal is not truly jammed?”

“No.”

“We don’t need Jeongin’s trackers to show an alternative position, though… We just need them to stop sending, so he can disappear from the radar…” Seungmin pointed out pensively. Jisung blinked at him as if he had just told him the universe had reached it’s expanding limit and would start contracting any second now. Seungmin ignored his baffled look, though, leaning over to see what plans Jisung had drawn so far to modify the device.

“So, if we just have to jam the trackers and they don’t need to show a position… How does the veiling system of our ship work? That makes us fly undetected to radar…?”

Jisung shook himself out of his thoughts, clearing what scattered things littered his desk so he could actually see more of the screen underneath.

“The veiling system just scatters radar beams so the receptors can’t get an image out of them. They won’t be looking for Jeongin with a radar, though. But, you just gave me an idea…!”

“Oh?”

Jisung nodded, searching for something in his files.

“We don’t need a location… We need the opposite of a location…! So, what we need is something that disturbs the tags’ signals enough that they won’t get out. Something like… an ionically charged magnetic field!” Jisung explained enthusiastically.

“But won’t a magnetic field like that that has enough power to erase the signals disturb everything around it too much? Like, slap that on Jeongin and it will erase the tracking signals alright, but they’ll just have to look up where their lights are out and communication is failing to know where he is. Never mind that we won’t be able to use our own comms while with him and we can’t leave the jammer on when we bring him onto the ship because it will mess with our navigation systems and what not. And if we turn it off, they’ll see bright and clear where we are.” Seungmin adverted, and Jisung deflated as he thought about it.

“Shit, you’re right…”

“Maybe I can help…?” Felix piped up suddenly, and they both turned to him.

“I was thinking… we may not need an alternative location, but we could still use this system you used on those tags with Jeonginnie’s. We just have to connect them all with a current and wire them up to a computer that shows a different location, right?”

“Yeah… But to do that we need to actually be able to connect the tags, remember? And we already established that we won’t have time to get them all out.” Jisung pointed out, but Felix shook his head.

“We don’t need to get them out, though… See, here, on this device, you have a case and wires connecting the trackers to each other, but… what if we already have that? What if they already were connected?”

“How so?” Seungmin frowned, unable to follow Felix’ logic.

“Jeongin’s body. The current connecting the tags here flows through the wires, but both Chan and I don’t need wires to control an energy current. And living bodies are full of energetic currents. Chan or I could use the currents that are natural to Jeongin’s body to connect all the trackers inside him, and then hook them up to a computer like this one.”

Jisung grimaced.

“This is an electrical current, though… It’s not very strong, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be very comfortable. Besides, we can’t have you or Chan holding on to Jeongin at all times to keep up the current, and how are we going to hold the connection up when we get to take out the tags? And how are you going to make the current connect to the computer?”

“I’m sure we can modify the current so it won’t be harmful to Jeongin but still connect the tags in a way that it can transmit data. And we can make the current connect to a computer outside his body, but yeah, then we’d have to keep holding on to Jeongin and make a conscious effort to keep it up. But if we could get a connection to the computer that connected to the current inside his body, kind of like an IV, we could model it, so it won’t need our constant focus on it.”

“You’re suggesting we _stab_ Jeongin?!” Jisung looked horrified, but Felix wasn’t fazed at all.

“He’s kept drugged out of his mind the whole time, anyway, he wouldn’t even feel it; and an IV isn’t even that bad. Especially if it get’s him out of there and to safety, I can assure you he won’t mind…!”

Jisung didn’t look happy at all with the idea, but Seungmin could see it.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea at all… We should talk to Chan, see if he knows how to modify a current inside a body like that so it could work…”

*#*#*#*

Chan looked at them as if they had lost their mind when they finished explaining the idea to him.

“I had no part in this madness, I swear…! This sadistic concept was entirely Felix’ idea!” Jisung reassured Chan, crossing his arms defiantly while Chan thought about it.

“Yeah… I… This…” Chan tilted his head, reviewing it again in his head. “This… This is actually genius, Felix…!”

“ _What_?!” Jisung gasped in disbelief.

“It’s genius. Our bodies already hold so much energy… We’d have to practice how to model that energy into a kind that allows for data transmissions, but it shouldn’t be too hard. Do you know Jeongin’s energy signature?” Chan sat up straighter as he got into the idea, eager to start working it out.

“Intimately. I’ve healed him many times. He keeps accidentally injuring himself in his drugged state, and they OD-ed him a few times, too. He has a crazy amount of energy in him, and it’s very… all over the place, ironically. Probably because of the nature of his powers.”

“We’d need someone with an energy signature that is as similar to his as it gets to practice… I think out of all of us, the one with the highest amount of energy would be…” Chan mused, thinking hard for a moment before nodding as he came to a conclusion. “Minho.”

“Oh, _fuck_ to the no!” Jisung immediately protested, just to nearly jump out of his skin when Minho suddenly appeared next to him.

“What’s with me and fuck to the no?” Minho asked, confused, as he’d only just come into the room.

“I’m not letting you electrocute him!” Jisung declared, stepping protectively in front of Minho.

“Electrocute me…? What? Why?”

Chan sighed, shaking his head.

“We’re not talking about electrocuting anyone…” And he explained their idea to Minho, with Jisung glaring at him the whole time while not budging from his spot in front of him. Minho made the most out of Jisung’s position, wrapping his arms around his middle and hooking his chin over Jisung’s shoulder as he listened to what Chan had to say; it almost caused Jisung to falter, but only almost.

“I’m in.” Minho declared when Chan finished, and Jisung turned so quickly he nearly head-butted Minho.

“You _what_?!”

Minho tightened his hold on Jisung for a moment.

“I want to help. I trust Chan not to hurt me, so I don’t see a problem.”

“Min, they’d literally stab you with something to be able to connect the computer to you-” Jisung tried to object, but Minho shut him up quickly.

“Sung, it’s literally all our lives on the line if we can’t get Jeongin out of there before the Alliance’s military finds him. We’re pressed for time to find solutions and we have a good one here. So what if I have to deal with some kind of little stab to help make it all work in the end? Don’t worry about it. I can handle it.”

Jisung gaped at him, then threw his arms up in frustration.

“I can’t believe the lot of you!”

Chan stood up from his seat and patted Jisung on the back.

“That’s ok. We believe in you, though, Sung. Just get on with working on the computer and how to fix it to someone; we need it done as soon as possible to be able to work out possible kinks. So, Felix, Minho, shall we get started, too? Or do you have something else urgent to do?”

They didn’t, and while everyone else went to work, Seungmin found himself alone, since he didn’t have an active part in that plan. He wandered about aimlessly, joining Changbin on the bridge for a while, as well as his brother. Eventually Woojin left his work, claiming he needed a distraction before his brain popped and he’d therefore go and cook something for dinner, and Seungmin was reminded of the time passing and that he hadn’t seen Hyunjin in hours. Naturally, he decided to go check on him.

Upon knocking on the bathroom door in his room, he didn’t get an immediate response, and he knocked again. Light sloshing sounds sounded, and he called out to Hyunjin.

“Yeah, I’m here! Sorry, sorry, I fell asleep, I’ll be out in a minute!” Hyunjin apologized quickly, and Seungmin chuckled quietly.

“No need to hurry, I was just wondering if you were still in there and alright. Sorry for waking you up. It’s almost dinner time, though…”

“Already? I slept the whole day?! Damn…” Hyunjin replied, shuffling around on the other side of the door, and Seungmin decided to reassure him while he went to lie down on his own bed as he waited with nothing better to do, playing a holo-game on his link to pass the time.

“It’s ok, you have every right to. As I said, no need to hurry. Dinner is even going to take a while still, Woojin only just started on it.”

Hyunjin still seemed to hurry, anyway, though. After only a short while, Seungmin heard him call his name from the other side of the door.

“Seungmin?”

“Yeah?”

“Oh… I was just wondering if you were still there…”

“I am. Why?”

Hyunjin hesitated.

 “Uhm… remember how we talked about how my appearance changes when I come into contact with water?”

“Yeah?”

“The change back to… well, the land-version, takes a while, so… Please don’t freak out when you see me?”

Seungmin frowned at the closed door.

“Why would I freak out…?”

Hyunjin didn’t answer, but after a moment, the door opened, and he stepped out into the room. Seungmin glanced away from his game shortly, unable not to notice how Hyunjin’s skin had adopted a distinct shade of greeny-blue all over. A vibration from his link, as his character in the game was hit, distracted him, though, and he quickly turned to the game again to pause and save it before sitting up on his bed and turning to Hyunjin again. The latter was still standing in the door to the bathroom, watching Seungmin with an expectant look that the Taviran wasn’t able to read.

“What is it?” Seungmin asked, tilting his head in question when Hyunjin didn’t move.

Hyunjin swallowed thickly, shoving his hands into his pockets in a way that made it obvious he didn’t know what to do with them.

“Uhm, you’re… you’re not… put off? By… this?” He took his hands out again and gestured over himself.

“What? Why should I?”

Hyunjin inhaled deeply, raising his shoulders in one forced shrug, and Seungmin understood. His confused expression smoothing into a softer, understanding one, he got up and walked over to Hyunjin. He stopped in front of him, lifting a hand to his face, but stopped just shortly before touching him.

“Can I?” He asked, and Hyunjin nodded lightly after only a heartbeat of hesitation. Seungmin cupped his face in his hand, tracing the deeper green streak over Hyunjin’s cheekbone with his thumb.

“Your skin feels nice. Like… silk? The real, olden days silk.”

Hyunjin gave him a confused look.

“Uh… thanks?” he chuckled, covering Seungmin’s hand with his own. “I have to be honest, that was not the reaction I was expecting from you…” He admitted.

“You expected me to be put off by the colour of your skin. But I grew up on a Rebellion base, Hyunjin. As far back as I can think, I’ve always been surrounded by people of the most diverse species you could possibly think of; and blue skin is hardly the most uncommon thing I’ve seen on a person in my life. Though, I have to say, you’re probably the most beautiful person of any species I’ve ever seen; and that goes both for land-you and aquatic-you.”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened, and then he scoffed lightly.

“You must be the only person to ever think so…” Seeing Seungmin’s expression morph into a frown, Hyunjin held on to Seungmin’s hand and lowered it from his face, holding it between them instead. “You’re not the first person to call me beautiful after seeing my land-form, but… usually, I’m called a monster when people see my aquatic form. In fact, my owners have always loved to use me for shock-value reactions, for examples of how monstrosity can hide even behind the most beautiful face, and to elicit shocked gasps and screams from an audience for entertainment, by dumping buckets of water on me and forcing the change…”

Seungmin could vividly imagine it, and while it saddened him and at the same time made him unbelievably angry, he couldn’t say he was surprised. Freeing his hand from Hyunjin’s hold, he stepped forward and pulled the Lagoan into a careful hug; he didn’t know where his fins were, after all, and he didn’t want to accidentally hurt him.

“What those people did to you is disgusting and horrible; but _you_ are not. You are beautiful, Hyunjin; just the way you are. Both in your land and aquatic forms. And if I ever hear someone say the opposite from now on, I will personally tear their limbs off! Well, as soon as I master the technique for that... In the meantime, I’ll make sure to shoot them where it hurts!”

Hyunjin let out an incredulous but genuinely amused laugh, pulling back from the hug slightly so he could see Seungmin’s face, but Seungmin returned his look dead-serious.

“I don’t care if beauty is subjective and everyone has different tastes in what they find beautiful or not. Ridiculing, harassing and discriminating against someone for the way they look makes for the shallowest and most disgusting kind of personality, and the next asshole I catch looking at you the wrong way is going to learn the hard way that I don’t tolerate that!”

The look Hyunjin gave Seungmin after his little speech looked nothing short of in love, but Seungmin didn’t see it. He was too busy holding on to Hyunjin to calm his anger, and trying to figure out why exactly he felt so strongly when Hyunjin told him of what he’d been through. He was torn out of his thoughts when Hyunjin cupped his face this time, his hand feeling cool against his flushed skin. His eyes found Hyunjin’s vibrant green ones, and he noticed the fond smile both on his lips and in his eyes.

“You’re cute.” Hyunjin whispered, and the green patterns, swirls and dots adorning his features in this form seemed to darken. Seungmin swallowed thickly.

“U-uh… Thanks? I- So are you, you know…”

Hyunjin chuckled softly, and Seungmin swallowed again before it burst out of him:

“Fuck, I want to kiss you…!”

Hyunjin’s eyes widened, but instead of stepping away like Seungmin half expected, he tilted his head adorably, his smile widening.

“Why don’t you do it, then?”

Seungmin didn’t need to be told twice, closing the minimal space left between them to claim Hyunjin’s lips with his own in a gentle caress. Hyunjin clearly hadn’t expected it so suddenly, but he soon moved with Seungmin, reciprocating. Seungmin had missed it before, even though they’d been standing so close together for a while now, but Hyunjin had a small height advantage over him that forced him to tilt his head back and reach up to kiss him, while Hyunjin had to lean down. It also caused Seungmin to arch against Hyunjin, and Hyunjin took the chance to hold him closer.

The kiss was short-lived, but soon followed by another, and another, as they came together in different angles, hoping to get as close to each other as possible. Despite the proximity, they kept it chaste, though, gentle, eventually breaking off with matching shy smiles.

“We should go up to the galley… Dinner should be almost done by now…” Seungmin suggested, clearing his throat, and Hyunjin slowly let go of him.

“Yeah…” He agreed, just to jump slightly when Seungmin surged forward and stole another kiss from him.

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

He did, in fact, not sound sorry at all, and Hyunjin didn’t feel like he needed to apologize, either.

“Do you think I can go up there, looking like this?” he asked shyly, though, when Seungmin started pulling him towards the door.

Seungmin stopped, not wanting to force Hyunjin to come if he didn’t actually want to.

“Yes. No one on this ship will judge you, I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Hyunjin still hesitated.

“Absolutely.”

Taking a deep breath, Hyunjin decided to trust Seungmin, and threaded his fingers through Seungmin’s.

“Ok… Ok. Let’s go.”

Seungmin was surprised to find Hyunjin’s fingers fit perfectly between his own, the webbing not proving to be an obstacle at all.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, they were met by Changbin, who came to a screeching halt in front of them.

“Oh, you’re already coming. I was about to come get you; and am suddenly very glad I didn’t open that door myself. You were being all gross in there, weren’t you?”

Seungmin rolled his eyes at the human.

“Still against the concept of knocking, Binnie?”

“Until my dying breath, and you know it!”

“You have no room to complain, then.”

Changbin cut him a grimace, before leading the way up to the galley. Seungmin could feel Hyunjin relax next to him when Changbin didn’t mention his appearance at all, and he tightened his hold on his hand for a second in an encouraging squeeze that was answered by a grateful smile before they followed Changbin.

“Ah, there you are; sit, food’s almost done!” Chan greeted them, handing Jisung a stack of napkins before hurrying back to the kitchen island to help Woojin with the last preparations.

Felix was the first to see their still joined hands, looking up with a smile and promptly moving seats to sit next to Changbin, thus freeing two seats next to each other. That action caught Jisung’s attention, and he quickly grinned at Seungmin with a waggle of his eyebrows, to which Seungmin wished he still had one of those nut-fruits to throw at his friend. Instead, he gave him a bored look, nodding at Minho with a raised eyebrow, who was in the process of rolling his eyes at Jisung, and Jisung shrugged in a gesture that said: ‘Fair enough’, before going back to folding the napkins.

Woojin came over with a steaming pot in his hands, placing it in the middle of the table, but froze when he caught sight of their joined hands. Hyunjin tugged lightly, wanting to let go, but Seungmin didn’t register it and instead held on tighter as he found his brother’s gaze and returned it defiantly.

For a second, silence settled over the group, and catching on, Chan nudged Woojin’s side with his elbow after placing the tray he’d been carrying down on the table, too.

“Adults, remember? His life, his choices…” He murmured quietly so only Woojin could hear him, and Woojin unfroze, giving the two of them a slightly forced smile before going to sit down, but let it go. Chan, in turn, gave them a genuine, reassuring smile, one Seungmin was grateful for.

Amidst the clinking of cutlery and plates, the heavy atmosphere didn’t stay around for long, but Hyunjin still felt uncomfortable, especially since Woojin had taken the seat right next to him around the table. Woojin noticed it, too, and regretted making the Lagoan feel that way.

“Do you want to try the bread, Hyunjin? It’s probably still warm inside…” He tried to break the ice, offering Hyunjin the basket with a gentle smile.

Hyunjin was surprised to be addressed by Woojin so suddenly, but stuttered out a thanks and broke off a piece to try it.

Woojin’s smile widened.

“You’re welcome. Do you want something to drink, too? Juice? Water? Wine?”

“Uh… juice?”

“Sure! Channie, pass me the juice, please?”

Chan didn’t even turn to look at him as he passed him the juice since he was listening to Jisung, and Woojin filled Hyunjin’s cup before passing the jug to Changbin, who was reaching for it. When Woojin’s attention shifted to Jisung, too, Hyunjin decided to tune into his tale as well.

“…and so, today, finally, I managed to pass the parkour on the first try, for the first time! I was so happy, because, wow, finally! Without even getting grazed by anything even once! And then…! Then Hyunjin comes around, and he made it on his first try, too! But, like, his first try, _ever_! I’ve been trying to master Woojin’s parkour for what, almost two weeks now? And he just comes and _BAM!_ Seriously, Hyunjin’s amazing! In sparring, too. He handed me and Seungmin our asses like nobody’s business.” Jisung beamed as if that made him exceptionally happy, then turned to Hyunjin directly.

“You move so sharply, but gracefully at the same time, it’s almost beautiful to watch! Did you train that somewhere?”

Hyunjin could only shake his head in answer, since he had his mouth full.

“Wow, amazing! Do you move like that under water, too? Or is it _because_ you move like that under water that you can do it like that on land, too? Is it harder on land or in water for you?”

Hyunjin managed to swallow his bite.

“I don’t know, I’ve never tried it under water…”

“What do you think, though?”

“Hmm… I don’t know, but… Probably the same?”

Jisung hummed, shrugging as he stuffed his mouth with food.

“Understandable.” He muttered through a full mouth, ironically making the word everything but, before swallowing. “Let me know if you ever try it out. It must be so cool, to be able to move as well under water as on land… And here _I_ am: a sad land-dweller who can’t even swim…!” He sighed wistfully, but jumped when Chan suddenly coughed and hit the table as he choked on a piece of his food.

“You what?!” he choked out, tears in his eyes from the piece of vegetable that had gone down the wrong pipe.

“Huh?”

“You can’t swim?!” Between big gulps of water, Chan managed to ask the question.

“Yeah, nah…”

“Me neither, actually.” Seungmin chimed in, and Chan looked at the both of them, absolutely appalled.

“What the… Ok. Ok, that’s it; we can’t have that! First thing we’re gonna do, is build a pool into one of the bays and teach you guys!” Chan declared, and Woojin next to him snorted.

“Right… A pool… Isn’t that going to completely throw off our maneuverability? We are on a fighter class ship here…!”

“Not necessarily…” Jisung mused. ”We’ve carried cargo that was way heavier than if we flooded the whole main bay up to the ceiling with water. The weight of just a pool wouldn’t be a problem. We’d just have to build it in a way so we can close it tightly and in a way that keeps the water from sloshing around during maneuvers…”

Changbin hummed in agreement next to him then, looking something up on his link.

“I’ve found models of pools for space-ships, look…” He pulled up a holograph of a pool model, and Jisung snatched the link from him, enlarging the model to look at it closer.

“This is easy to build, I can get that done in no time. All I need is some materials… I’ll make a list real quick-…”

“I’ll send you the file and you can make your list on your own link…!” Changbin interrupted him, snatching his link back.

Gently, Woojin cleared his throat, getting their attention, but he fixed only Jisung.

“You have something else to work on for now before you focus on that list, Sung, and that has absolute priority right now…”

Jisung rolled his eyes, groaning in exasperation.

“Yes, yes, I know… But please, can we at least start on gathering parts for the pool already?”

“How would we even do that?” Felix chimed in, interrupting whatever answer Woojin had for Jisung. Next to him, Changbin turned around with a mischievous smile.

“Well, we’re pirates, remember?”

Felix retaliated with a nudge of his elbow, rolling his eyes.

“Of course, I remember, but what are the odds of just randomly bringing up a ship that just so happens to have all the necessary parts for a pool on board?”

“Ah-ah, not randomly; we look for one that has the parts loaded and attack that one specifically.”

“So, you’re telling me you can just check the cargo of whatever ships you want _beforehand?!”_

“Exactly!” Changbin beamed proudly.

“No way!”

“Yes way! Here-” He was interrupted by Chan clearing his throat, shaking his head as Changbin looked up at him.

“We can, alright, but not during dinner. Changbin, please… Wait until we’re all done eating.”

Changbin put the link away without protest, but not without a small sigh, before going back to his food.

For a moment, they went back to eating in relative silence, when Woojin noticed Hyunjin’s searching gaze.

“What are you looking for, Hyunjin? Can I help?”

Hyunjin startled a little, but nodded.

“I, uh, yes… I would like some more juice…”

Woojin quickly swept his gaze over the table, searching for the juice.

“Is the juice empty…? Ah, Felix, pass me the pitcher, please, I’ll get some more!” He got up, accepting the empty pitcher before moving to the pantry.

With the space between them now empty, Chan turned to Hyunjin.

“Seungmin told us earlier that your skin gets itchy if you stay out of water for a long time…”

Hyunjin nodded lightly.

“Yes, that’s true… But it’s ok, I’m used to it…”

“That doesn’t make it ok! If it hurts you not to, we’ll of course have to make sure you can take regular baths!” Chan decided, interrupting himself when Woojin returned with the juice and sat back down, filling Hyunjin’s glass. Hyunjin thanked him, and Woojin gave him a welcoming smile. Only then did Chan continue. “How long does it usually take before you start feeling uncomfortable again after a bath? Please, be honest.”

Hyunjin nodded quietly, thinking about it.

“I think… About a day? A day and a half, if I’ve had the chance to soak for a long time, like today.”

Chan hummed pensively.

“Hmm, ok… Sung, can our water recycler handle that frequency, along with the showers from the rest of us?”

Jisung shook his head slowly, unsure.

“I don’t know… might be tough, over time. But I can modify it so it will be able to handle it… But!” he jumped up, pointing an accusing finger at Chan. “I totally get why that is also a priority, but you make sure not to come up with anything else that takes priority before the pool!”

“Jisung, please sit down; we’re all still eating. And be more mindful of your gestures, that one is a severe insult that could get you executed in most cultures…” Woojin told him off calmly, and Jisung plopped back into his chair, deflating with a massive pout. Chan gave him a placating smile.

“If it’s any consolation for you, I’m considering the pool a priority, too; we are in enough danger all the time as it is, I don’t need the possibility of one of you drowning just because you’ve never learned how to swim added to the list of things that could possibly take your lives.  But, there are still other things that are more important right now.”

Jisung sighed, but accepted the criticism, and among calmer conversation topics, the dinner drew to a close.

“Minho, Jisung; it’s your turn with the dishes today.” Woojin held the couple back when everyone started getting up.

“Nooo, whyyyy…!” Jisung whined automatically, gaining an eyeroll and a nudge from Minho.

“Quit whining, it’s not that bad…”

“Psst! Quiet! The trick is to whine even if it’s not that much, so they’ll take pity on us and not give us any more chores! Aaaah!!” Jisung hissed at Minho, but yelled and jumped when Chan caught him in a head-lock.

“You little trickster, playing on the feelings of your loved ones like that!” Chan laughed, mussing Jisung’s hair up until it was sticking up every which way, with Jisung yelling for Minho to help him the whole time. Minho only laughed, though, moving to start cleaning the dishes.

“Traitor! I’m breaking up with you, I don’t like you anymore!” Jisung whined dramatically when Chan finally released him so he could go and help Minho, rejecting the other’s offered hug.

Minho gasped in mock-shock, turning his back to Jisung.

“Oh no…! Looks like I’ll have to move to a cabin of my own, then, and sleep all alone at night…”

Jisung paled, quickly closing the gap between them and clinging to Minho from behind.

“Nonono! Don’t, don’t! I take it back! I love you, please don’t move out!”

Minho rolled his eyes, turning around in Jisung’s hold to hug him back quickly before shoving him off.

“I love you, too; now help me with the dishes, please.”

Chan finally turned away from the couple, following Woojin out of the galley, too, now that everyone else had scattered as well.

“Ah, young love…” He sighed dreamily, fluttering his lashes as he reached Woojin.

Woojin snorted quietly, shaking his head.

“Because you are _so_ old yourself…”

Chan chuckled, but Woojin remained quiet, and Chan watched him out of the corner of his eyes as they walked, noticing that he looked uncomfortable.

“Wooj?” he spoke up after a while, and Woojin hummed that he was listening.

“Do you have something against Hyunjin?”

Woojin stopped abruptly.

“What? No! He’s a nice, sweet kid. If anything, I want to protect him, after all he’s been through!”

Chan nodded slowly.

“So, is it something against Hyunjin and Seungmin together, then?”

Woojin’s mouth snapped shut, and he didn’t answer immediately. Chan didn’t prod, giving Woojin time.

“No… No, that’s not it, either. I… I’m happy for them, I think they’ll match well, and be good for each other. It’s just…” He broke off with a sigh, and again, Chan gave him time. “I miss him... I miss Seungmin, and him being with Hyunjin now… He’ll have even less time to spend on his surly older brother, and… I just miss my baby brother.”

Chan hummed in understanding, stepping closer to pull Woojin into a hug, patting his back comfortingly. Woojin sighed dramatically, resting his chin on Chan’s shoulder.

“Is this what empty-nest-syndrome feels like?”

Chan couldn’t help but laugh loudly, heartily, before answering.

“No, Wooj. Minnie still lives with you, you see him every day, you spend time together all the time… That’s not it.”

Woojin sighed, though.

“I think if Minnie ever leaves to build his own crew, on his own ship, I’ll actually go crazy…”

Chan pulled out of the hug slightly, humming in agreement.

“Yeah, I think so, too… You’ll absolutely lose it.”

“Hey! You’re supposed to tell me it won’t be that bad and it will all be ok!” Woojin protested loudly, hitting Chan’s shoulder, who only laughed as he rubbed the sore spot, until Woojin pouted. He calmed himself down then, wrapping his arm around Woojin’s and pulling him into his side as they continued their walk up to the bridge.

“I’m proud of you, Wooj. You’re doing really well with Minnie… You’re a good brother. And if Seungmin ever leaves – which might not even happen – I’m sure you’re still going to be in contact pretty much permanently. Because Minnie loves you dearly. You won’t lose him to anyone, there is no one who can replace you in his life, and I don’t think he’d want anyone to.”

Woojin didn’t reply, just letting those words sink in, and they made it to the bridge in companionable silence. That silence found an abrupt end when the doors to the bridge opened and Changbin and Felix turned around to see they had arrived.

“Chan! Woojin! Come here, we have something to show you! Here, I taught Felix how to crack info on the cargo of Alliance ships and he immediately found something! Here, I think with this cargo we should be able to build a reasonably sized pool in the bay, don’t you think?”

Chan blinked, overwhelmed, placing his hands on Changbin’s shoulders both to steady himself and to peer over his shoulder at the desk in front of them.

“Hmm, maybe… Slow down, though, we don’t even have Jisung’s list yet. We can look for parts once we have the list. For now, we need other things first. Water, food, clothes… We have two, soon to be three new members to clothe and feed, and we’ll need more water for Hyunjin’s baths. Let’s focus on that first, ok?”

“Ok… Felix?”

Felix jumped excitedly in his seat, taking over the search under Changbin’s guidance to look for ships with the cargo they needed. In no time, he found one.

“This one?” He asked, giving Changbin a hopeful look, eyes sparkling. Chan could feel Changbin practically melting under his hands, giving him a proud smile that was so soft and sweet, Chan almost felt the need to take a closer look at the man to make sure it was really Changbin.

“Perfect! Let’s set course for that one… We’ll probably reach it tomorrow, early afternoon.”

Chan patted Changbin’s back for a job well done, giving Felix a content smile, too.

“Great. That’s all for now on that, then… Could you check if there are any news about Jeongin’s possible whereabouts yet? Wooj and I are going to dig a bit deeper into the collector scene for a bit…”

Changbin nodded, exchanging a determined look with Felix before looking back at Chan.

“Sure.”

Chan gave him a thankful smile, stepping away from the two of them as they got ready to work on their new task.

“Young love, indeed…” Woojin smiled knowingly with a look at the two when Chan joined him.

“You think so…?” Chan asked, a hint of skepticism in his tone that had Woojin give him an incredulous look.

“Please tell me you’re not actually _that_ blind…!”

Chan laughed, shaking his head, and Woojin sighed in relief.

“Bless… I was worried there for a second!”

**Author's Note:**

> So here I am with a new Stray Kids fic. That was faster than I anticipated! Fair warning that updates won't be anywhwere near as regular as for The Fate of a Runt, but I'll still try my best. I'm really excited to share this story; hope you enjoy it, too!


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